IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


112.8 


us 


n 


1.8 


1-25      1,4      1.6 

.« 6"     

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Photographic 

Sciences 
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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions 


Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


1980 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliugraphiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  mey  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


r~n   Covers  damaged/ 


D 


Couverture  endommagie 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurAe  et/ou  pelllcul4e 


r~~|   Cover  title  missing/ 


D 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gAographiques  en  couleur 


□   Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

I      I   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


D 
D 


D 


D 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  materiel/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr^e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int^rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible.  th«se 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais.  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  AtA  filmAes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplAmentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  iciage  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mithode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquis  ci-dessous. 

□   Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

□    Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag6es 

I — I    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 


D 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmi  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu6  ci-dessous. 


Pages  restaur6es  et/ou  peliicui^es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxei 
Pages  d6color6es.  tachet^es  ou  piqu6es 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d6tach6es 

Showthrough> 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Quality  in^gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  suppiementery  materit 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplAmentaire 


r~n  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

I      I  Pages  detached/ 

I      I  Showthrough/ 

I      I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I  Includes  suppiementery  material/ 


to 


Tf 

PC 

of 
fil 


Oi 
be 
th 
sii 
ot 
fir 
sit 
or 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc..  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  r^ages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata.  une  pelure. 
etc..  ont  6t6  fiimies  A  nouvoau  de  fapon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


sh 
Tl 

wl 

M 
dil 
en 
b€ 
rit 
rei 
m( 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

y 

12X 

16X 

20X 

MX 

28X 

32X 

Th«  copy  filmed  her*  hat  baen  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


L'exemplaire  film*  fut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
gtnArosit*  da: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Les  images  suivantas  ont  At*  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
de  la  nettet*  de  l'exemplaire  film*,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimte  sont  filmts  en  commengant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmAs  en  commen9ant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboies  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
derniire  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symboie  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  *he 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
film6s  d  das  taux  de  reduction  diffArents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  'in  seul  clichA,  il  est  film*  A  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  ban,  an  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

( 


MAMMOTH  HOT  SPRINGS  HOTEL,  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 


1 


3 


ONDEKLAND; 


OR 


The  Pacific 


Northwest 


AND  Alaska 


With  a  Description  of  the  Country  Traversed  by  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad 


BY 


J0]in  nYa^. 


AUTHOR   OF 


"THE    WONDERLAND    ROUTE    TO    THE    PACIFIC    COAST,"    "ALICES   ADVENTURES  IN 
THE    NEW    WONDERLAND"    ETC.,    ETC. 


SECOIi/D  EDITION,  REVISED. 


COPYRIGHTED,    1889, 

By  CHAS,  S.  FEE,   General  Passenger  and  Ticket  Agent, 

Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  St.  Paid. 


fff  h^^j 


H^f<?t/w^ 


Printers; Engravers  and  Electrotypers,  Chicago. 


'^^'^^^ 


INDEX. 


Alaska,  Agricultural  Capabilities  of g 

Bibliography  of 

Climate  of "  ab   Jn  Z . 

Extent  of .'.".".■.■    /^'  "' ^4 

Facilities  for  Visiting 'la 

Fisheries  of 

Glaciers  of 87    8a 

Hunting  in *    .         .     "         '    .         . '  03 

Mineral  Resources  of     .         .         .  '  Sr.   a".   „^ 

Native  Races  of        .         .         .         -'.'.'.'.'.'.''    ^' tl 

Scenic  and  General  Attractions  of 68-Qd 

Alaskans,  Peculiar  Customs  of  the g. 

Angling  in  Clark's  Fork  of  the  Columbia,  I .  T.  . .Z 

the  Gallatin  River,  M.  T,     .         .  t\ 

Green  River,  W.  T.  ...  „ 

Lake  Pend  d'OreiUe,  I.  T 45 

Minnesota      ...  ,"     ,, 

>>isconsm  ---.....  tt 

the  Yellowstone  River,  M.  T.  .         .         .         .         .         .         .    '  21, 

Arctic  Scenery ■....*  87 

Ashland,  Superior  and  West  Superior j . 

Astoria,  Oregon "         "  , 

"Bad  Lands"  of  the  Little  Missouri,  D.  T.         .         .         ."...*.  jq 

Bismarck,  the  Capital  of  Dakota '  ,, 

Butte  City,  the  Greatest  Mining  Camp  in  the  World     .         .         .    "     .         .     '  ,3 

Cascade  Mountains.  Crossing  the  .....  '         '  cc 

Clark's  Fork  of  the  Columbia "    .    "    .  "  a\ 

Coeur  d'Alen-  Country  .         .  -  ^-1, 

Columbia  River " 6 

Dakota,  Growth  of "-."..".*        '  jl 

Detroit  Lake,  Minn. '         '         '         "  i\ 

Duck  and  Goose  Shooting     .         .  11    in 

Duluth    Minn '    .    *    _ ^'     ' 

Flathead  Country,   M.  T _ '° 

Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska     .  .         .         ......  "         '     g» 

Glacier  Bay,  Alaska *  8 

Gold  Mine,  the  Richest  in  the  World         .         .         .         ."...*  '     st 

Goose  Shooting  in  Dakota     -.-....  ' 

Helena  and  the  Romance  of  Mining         .....  '         '  Jc 

Hunting  in  Alaska ^ 

Idaho -Kootenai  Country,  Lake  Kanasku,  etc.         .         .".*.*         "43 
Minnesota  -.-....  10   r 

Montana        .......  "  '  ,6 

Wisconsin           ... 
James  River  Vrlley,  D.  T -....'."  17 

i.5j4ya 


4  INDEX. 

PAoa 
Juneau,  Alaska,  and  the  Mines  of  Douglas  Island  ...  ....     85 

Lake  CcEur  d'Alene,  1.  T ......  50 

Lake  Park  Region  of  Minnesota  ..........12 

Lake  Pend  d'Oreille,  L   1" 47 

Lake  Superior ......10 

Minneapolis  and  St   Paul         ...........  6 

Minnehaha,  Fails  of..         .......         -...9 

Montana,  Grazing   Industry  <  f  ...         .  .         .  .         .  22 

Northwest,  Marvelous  Development  of  the     .....  ....       6 

General  Attractions  of  the         .........  6 

Portland,  Oregon ..61 

Puget  Sound  Country — Climate,  etc,  ........  60,  69 

Red  River  Valley        .         .         L .         .        15,  i6 

Rocky  Mountains,  Crossing  the 38 

San  Francisco  to  Puget  Sound,  etc 63 

Sitka,  Alaska ....gl 

Spokane  Falls,  W.  T 49 

Stock  Raising  in  the  Northwest         ..........         19 

St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  ........         ..6 

Tacoma,  W.  T.,  City  of  *...... 59 

Tacoma:     The  Sovereign  Mountain      . .        57,  60 

Victoria,  B.  C.         .         . 71 

Washington  Territory,  Agricultural  Capabilities  of  .  .         .         .         .         .         -51 

Wheat  Farms  of  Red  River  Valley 16 

Wrangell,  Alaska 83 

Yakima  Valley,  W.  T.     .      ^ 55 

Yellowstone  National  Park ....26 

Yellowstone  Valley  ............21 


ILLUSTRATIOHS. 


fAOV 

Mammoth  Hot  Springs  Hotel,  Yellowstone  National  Park  ....     Frontispiece. 

Dining  Car  Interior  on  the  Wonderland  Route        .         .         .         .         .     '    .         .         .         8 
Sleeping  Car  Interior  on  the  Wonderland  Route         .......  14 

In  the  Yellowstone  Valley ..20 

Geysers  and  Falls  in  the  Yellowstone  National  Park    .......  24 

Winter  Scenes  in  the  Yellowstone  National  Park     ........       28 

Hydraulic  Mining  . 32 

Mission  Mountains  in  the  t'lathead  Country,  M.  T.         .......       40 

Thompson  Falls  and  Scenery  on  Clark's  Fork  of  the  Columbia     .....  42 

Cabinet  Gorge,  Clark's  Fork  of  the  Columbia         ....  ....44 

Lake  Pend  d'Oreille,  I.  T ....  46 

Switch-back  Line  over  the  Cascade  Mountains,  W.  T.     .......       52 

Cougar  Mountain,  Green  River,  W.  T 54 

Trout  Fishing  on  Green  River,  W.  T.  .........56 

Hotel  Tacoma,  Tacoma,  W.  T.        .........         .  58 

Mount  Tacoma,  W.  T.,  as  seen  in  August     .........62 

Oneonta  Gorge,  Columbia  River,  Oregon  ........  66 

Inland  Passage  to  Alaska 70 

Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska 78 

Alaskan  Grave  and  Totem  Poles  at  Fort  Wrangell  ...         ....       82 

A  Thlinket  Family  ............  84 

Juneau,  Alaska 86 

An  Alaska  Steamer  approaching  the  Muir  Glacier 88 

Indian  River,  Sitka,  Alaska 92 


FAOB 

-   85 

50 

.   12 

47 

.  10 

6 

-   9 

22 

.   6 

6 

.  61 

60,  69 

15.  16 

38 

-  63 
91 

-  49 
19 

.   6 

59 

57.  60 

71 

-  51 
16 

-  83 
55 

.  26 

21 


fAGB 

Frontispiece. 

8 


14 
30 

24 

23 

32 
40 

42 
44 
46 

52 

54 

56 

58 

62 

66 

70 

78 

82 

84 
86 
88 
93 


I 


WonJcplanJ 


"  Such  is  the  patriot's  boast  where'er  we  roam : 
His  first,  best  country  ever  Is  his  own." 

^RAVELING,  some  years  ago,  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  Mr. 
Norman  Lockyer  met,  to  liis  great  surprise,  a  venerable 
French  Abb6,  who,  observing  the  astronomer's  ill-concealed 
astonishment,  proceeded  to  give  the  following  explanation  of 
his  own  presence  in  that  far-off  region: 

'"Some  months  ago,"  he  said,  "I  was  very  ill.  My 
physicians  gave  me  up,  and  one  morning  I  seemed  to  faint 
and  thought  that  I  was  already  in  the  arms  of  the  Bon  Dieu,  and  I  fancied  the 
angels  came  and  asked  me,  'Well,  M.  I'Abb^,  and  how  did  you  like  the 
beautiful  world  you  have  just  left?'  And  then  it  occurred  to  me  that  I  who  had 
been  all  my  life  preaching  about  heaven  had  seen  almost  nothing  of  the  world 
in  which  I  was  living.  I  determined  therefore,  if  it  pleased  Providence  to  spare 
me,  to  see  something  of  this  world ;  and  so  here  I  am." 

Now,  if  the  American  people,  or  such  of  them  as  have  the  means  and 
leisure  to  travel,  are  not  open  to  the  reproach  of  caring  nothing  for  the  beauties 
and  wonders  of  the  world  they  live  in,  that  they  have  sought  them  hitherto  in 
the  eastern  rather  than  the  western  bjinisphere  is  a  fact  too  notorious  to  be 
called  in  question.  It  is  doubtful  whether,  of  the  25,000  Americans  who 
visited  Europe  during  the  summer  of  1887,  one  in  a  hundred  had  ever 
gazed  upon  the  mysterious  and  awe-inspiring  scenes  of  that  greatest  of  the 
world's  natural  wonders,  the  Yellowstone  National  Park;  or  whether  even 
one  in  a  thousand  had  experienced  that  indescribable  exaltation  of  feeling 
which  takes  possession  of  the  traveler  as  he  looks  for  the  first  time  upon 
the  mountains  and  glaciers  of  imperial  Alaska. 

It  may  be  that  the  stately  cathedrals,  crumbling  abbeys  and  baronial  halls  of 
Merrie  England ;  the  gayety  of  the  capital  of  La  Belle  France ;  the  castled 
crags  and  historic  cities  of  Der  Vaterland;  the  far-famed  mountain  scenery  of 

(B) 


6 


U'OXDERLAXD. 


the  Land  of  William  Tell;  the  unique  cities  of  sunny  Italy;  and  even  the 
antiquities  of  the  Land  of  the  I'haraohs, — have,  notwithstanding  three  thousand 
miles  of  sundering  ocean,  been  of  easier  access  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  New  World 
than  the  incomparable  natural  wonders  of  their  own  far-extending  domain. 
But,  if  this  has  been  the  case  in  the  past,  it  is  such  no  longer.  By  trains 
equipped  with  every  convenience  and  luxury  of  modern  travel,  we  can  now 
'journey  to  the  very  threshold  of  the  enchanted  land  of  geysers,  cataracts  and 
canons;  while  we  can  also  gaze  upon  arctic  scenery  in  a  temperate  clime,  as  we 
sail  the  placid  waters  of  the  Inland  Passage,  in  a  steamer  scarcely  inferior  in  its 
appointments  to  the  floating  palaces  of  Long  Island  Sound. 

Henceforward,  the  American  who  goes  to  Europe  without  having  seen  the 
Yellowstone  Region,  the  Columbia  River,  Puget  Sound  and  Alaska,  will  have 
to  be  classed  with  those  75,000  people  of  Buffalo,  who,  according  to  a  leading 
journal  of  that  city,  have  never  seen  the  world-renowned  cataract  of  Niagara, 
though  living  within  sound  of  its  roar. 

The  scenic  wonders  of  the  Northwest,  though  discovered  only  within  the 
last  few  years,  have  already  made  the  region  in  which  they  lie  as  famous  among 
lovers  of  the  sublime  and  beautiful  in  nature,  the  world  over,  as  the  recent 
marvelous  developmeiit  of  its  agricultural  and  other  natural  resources  has 
rendered  it  in  the  world's  markets  and  exchanges.  While,  as  the  present 
writer  has  elsewhere  observed,  old-world  armies  have  been  contending  for 
the  possession  of  narrow  strips  of  territory,  in  kingdoms  themselves  smaller 
than  many  single  American  States,  and  venerable  savants  have  been  predicting 
the  near  approach  of  the  time  when  the  population  of  the  world  shall  have 
outstripped  the  means  of  subsistence,  there  has  arisen,  between  the  headwaters 
^f  the  Mississippi  and  the  mouth  of  the  stately  Columbia,  an  imperial  domain, 
more  than  three  times  the  size  of  the  German  empire,  and  capable  of  sustain- 
ing upon  its  own  soil  one  hundred  millions  of  people.  What  the  United  States 
is  to  the  world  at  large,  this  particular  region  is,  in  many  respects,  to  the  Great 
Republic  itself;  and  its  scenic  attractions  have  this  additional  advantage  over 
those  o^  other  parts  of  the  country,  that,  traveling  to  them  as  he  does,  through 
the  vase  wheat  fields  of  Minnesota  and  Dakota,  the  gold  and  silver  ribbed 
mountains  and  rich  pastures  of  Montana,  and  the  forests,  wheat  fields  and  hop 
gardens  of  Washington,  the  tourist  sees  something  of  a  section  of  country 
whose  extraordinary  productiveness  has  drawn  upon  it  the  attention  of  the 
whole  civilized  world,  and  led  to  the  most  remarkable  movement  of  population 
witnessed  in  modern  times. 

Unless  he  should  travel  by  the  Great  Lakes  to  Duluth;  be  returning  to 
Europe  or  the  Eastern  States  from  Australia,  China  or  Japan;  or,  for  any  reason 
whatever,  should  have  traveled  westward  to  the   Pacific  Coast  by  some  other, 
route, — the  tourist  will  enter  this  remarkable  region  at  the  great  twin  cities  of 
St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis. 

It  almost  taxes  one's  powers  of  belief  to  be  told  that,  thirteen  years  after  the 
accession  to  the  British  throne  of  the  gracious  sovereign  whose  jubilee  was 


UOAD/'IKLAXD. 


taly;  and  even  the 
ding  three  thousand 
Its  of  the  New  World 
-extending  domain, 
longer.  By  trains 
travel,  we  can  now 
:ysers,  cataracts  and 
Tiperate  clime,  as  we 
arcely  inferior  in  its 

lOut  having  seen  the 
id  Alaska,  will  have 
:ording  to  a  leading 
cataract  of  Niagara, 

2red  only  within  the 
lie  as  famous  among 
over,  as  the  recent 
itural  resources  has 
hile,  as  the  present 
)een  contending  for 
i  themselves  smaller 
have  been  predicting 
he  world  shall  have 
ween  the  headwaters 
an  imperial  domain, 
1  capable  of  sustain- 
hat  the  United  States 
aspects,  to  the  Great 
ional  advantage  over 
1  as  he  does,  through 
lid  and  silver  ribbed 
wheat  fields  and  hop 
I  section  of  country 
the  attention  of  the 
rement  of  population 

uth;  be  returning  to 
an;  or,  for  any  reason 
;]oast  by  some  other, 
e  great  twin  cities  of 

lirteen  years  after  the 
jn  whose  jubilee  was 


recently  celebrated,  one  of  these  now  stately  and  flourishing^  cities  was  a  little 
settlement  with  a  population  of  only  840,  and  that  the  other  had  absolutely  no 
existence;  but  that  they  should  have  become  what  they  are  by  a  growth  of  less 
than  forty  years  is  even  less  wonderful  than  has  been  their  expansion  during  the 
last  decade.  So  recently  as  1880,  neither  of  them  contained  50,000  inhabitants, 
or  could  take  precedence  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  Reading,  Pa.,  or  Nashville,  Tenn. 

The  beginning  of  the  year  i^jq,  however,  finds  them  with  a  combined  popu- 
lation of  fully  400,000,  and  a  volume  of  trade  that  entitles  them  to  rnnk  among 
the  greatest  cities  in  the  Union.  The  mileage  of  their  tributary  railroads,  their 
banking  capital  and  manufactures,  as  well  as  the  outward  and  visible  signs  of 
their  wealth  and  commercial  importance,  '.".ave  all  increased  in  corresponding 
ratio;  and  everything  that  Chicago  has  been  to  the  Western  States  generally, 
St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  now  are  to  the  700,000  square  miles  of  territory  lying 
between  the  Great  Lakes  and  Puget  Sound. 

To  the  east-bound  traveler  over  that  great  railroad  system,  the  Northern 
Pacific,  which  alone  traverses  this  region  from  end  to  end,  a  distance  of  nearly 
2,000  miles,  they  form  a  fitting  climax  to  those  gigantic  operations  in  mining, 
lumbering,  stock  raising  and  agriculture,  which,  almost  equally  with  the  scenic 
wonders  of  the  country,  have  excited  his  admiration  and  astonishment;  while 
for  the  west-bound  traveler  they  constitute  an  imperial  gateway,  a  veritable  Arc 
de  Triomphe,  upon  whose  twin  columns  he  sees  engraved  the  splendid  achieve- 
ments of  those  who,  alike  on  plain  and  mountain  top,  are  engaged  in  subduing 
the  refractory  powers  of  Nature  and  despoiling  of  its  vast  and  varied  riches 
one  of  the  greatest  of  her  treasure  houses. 

If  St.  Paul  does  not  exactly  answer  to  our  ideas  of  a  city  set  on  a  hill,  its 
situation,  upon  a  series  of  terraces  rising  from  the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  is  at  once  commanding  and  picturesque;  and  from  its  higher  elevations, 
including  the  beautiful  residential  quarters  of  St.  Anthony's  HiU  and  Dayton's 
Bluff,  there  are  always  to  be  enjoyed  magnificent  views  of  the  richly  wooded 
valley  beneath,  that  are  among  the  mo.st  delightful  reminiscences  of  a  visit  to 
this  fine  city.  Situated  on  a  great  waterway  and  at  the  head  of  navigation,  it 
has  a  river  trade  of  considerable  importance.  It  also  enjoys  whatever  prestige 
attaches  to  the  capital  of  a  great  State,  while  it  is  likewise  the  financial  capital 
of  the  vast  region  lying  to  the  west  and  northwest  of  it,  and  the  focus  of  that 
extraordinary  railway  activity  which  is  rapidly  bringing  every  portion  of  that 
region  into  communication  with  the  markets  of  the  world. 

Few,  perhaps,  of  the  readers  of  this  pamphlet  would  view  with  anything  but 
dismay  the  prospect  of  visiting  this  city  in  mid-winter,  so  erroneous  are  the 
prevalent  ideas  with  regard  to  the  winter  climate  of  the  Northwest.  One  brief 
experience,  however,  would  be  sufficient  to  dispel  all  such  mistaken  notions, 
for  the  visitor  would  find,  for  the  most  part,  clear  skies,  crisp  snow,  excellent 
sleighing,  steady,  dry,  exhilarating  cold,  and,  usually,  during  the  months  of 
January  and  February,  an  ice  carnival  eclipsing  in  brilliancy, and  gayety  even 
that  of  the  famous  city  on  the  St.  Lawrence.     But  not  even  to  that  extent  can 


f  ff 


8 


WONDERLAND. 


llic  Minnesota  winter  be  absolutely  dcpentled  upon,  as  is  evidenced  by  tlie 
enforced  abandonment  of  the  ice  palace  project  of  the  winter  of  i888-8q. 

Minneapolis  is  built  on  a  broad  esplanade  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  there  are  not  a  few  visitors  who  prefer  its  broad,  (!hicaj,'o-like  streets  to 
those  of  the  more  picturesque  C'apital  CMty.  Its  chief  pride  and  ylory  are  the  Kalis 
of  St.  Anthony  and  those  colossal  llouring  mills  which  are  clustered  around  them. 

Time  was  when  Chicago  stood  at  the  head  of  the  wheat  markets  of  the 
world;  but  while  the  wheat' received  by  that  city  has  fallen  from  34,106,109 


DINING  CAR   INTERIOR   ON   THE   WONDERLAND   ROUTE. 

bushels,  in  1879,  to  21,476,016  bushels,  in  1887,  tne  amount  handled  by  the  mill- 
ers of  Minneapolis  has  increased  within  the  same  period  from  7,514,364  bushels 
to  46,026,120  bushels. 

On  the  left  bank  of  the  river  is  the  famous  Pillsbury  "  A  "  flouring  mill, 
with  a  capacity  of  7,000  barrels  per  day,  the  greatest  in  the  world ;  while  on 
the  opposite  bank  are  to  be  seen,  among  many  others,  those  bearing  the  well- 


iio.vy)/:A'L.Lv/). 


evidenced  by  the 
■of  i88,S-S(). 
ink  of  the  Missis- 
•a^o-Iikc  streets  to 
glory  are  the  Kails 
ered  around  them. 
Lit  markets  of  the 
1  from  34,106,109 


landled  by  the  mill- 
in  7,514,364  bushels 

"  A  "  flouring  mill, 
he  world  ;  while  on 
>e  bearing  the  well- 


known  name  of  Washburn;  the  whole  capable  of  converting,  daily,  187,250 
bushels  of  wheat  into  37,450  barrels  of  Hour,  a  flour-manufacturing  rapacitv 
more  than  equal  to  tlie  consumjuion  of  the  three  most  pojjulous  Statues  of  the 
Union,  or  of  one-half  of  the  population  of  (ireat  Britain. 

'Ihe  busy  toilers  of  these  two  great  'iri^s  have  an  undoubted  advantage 
over  those  of  most  other  great  centres  of  pO(Hi;  ition  in  the  generous  provision 
made  l.^v  nature  for  their  physical  recreation  ud  enjoyment.  It  scarcely  seems 
possible  that  it  can  be  said  of  a  State  *'  it  is  now  leadin^^  the  entire  Union  in 
the  production  of  wheat, — not  to  mction  iK  of'  or  enormous  agricultural 
I'lO'iucts, — that  upward  of  one-half  of  its  area  is  stdl  covered  with  pine 
forests,  and  that  it  contains  the  extraordinary  number  of  10,000  lakes.  Such, 
however,  is  the  fact ;  and  of  these  latter,  not  a  few  of  the  most  attractive 
are  within  easy  reach  of  St.  Paul  and  its  sister  city.  The  charming  resorts  of 
White  Jk-ar  and  Minnetonka,  the  latter  justly  famed  for  th"  beauty  of  its 
scenery  and  the  luxuriousness  of  its  hotels,  are  only  a  few  miles  distant.  Prob- 
ably, however,  the  greatest  local  attraction  to  the  tourist  is  the  far-famed  Falls 
of  Minnehaha,  immortalized  by  Longfellow.  Situated  almost  midway  between 
the  two  cities,  they  are  accessible  either  by  train,  carriage,  or  river  steamboat. 
To  go  by  carriage  is,  however,  the  most  satisfactory  way  to  visit  them,  as  the 
drive  may  conveniently  be  made  to  include  the  beautiful  United  States  military 
post  of  Fort  Snelling,  which  occupies  a  commanding  situation  at  the  confluence 
of  the  Minnesota  and  Mississippi  Rivers. 

Having  concluded  his  brief  visit  to  the  dual  capital  of  the  Northwest,  our 
traveler  will  be  ready  to  set  out  upon  his  long  trip  over  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad.  Assuming  St.  Paul  to  be  his  starling  point,  the  train  by  which  he 
will  travel  will,  almost  immediately  after  leaving  the  great  Union  depot,  with  its 
300  passenger  trains  per  day  and  its  six  miles  of  track,  pass  out  of  sight  of  the 
river,  and  bear  off  to  the  left,  into  that  beautiful  inter-urban  district  now  so 
rapidly  filling  up.  Passing  the  extensive  State  Fair  grounds,  with  their  imposing 
buildings,  on  the  right,  and  Hamline  University  on  the  left,  he  will,  in  a  very  few 
minutes,  again  come  in  sight  c. '  the  Mississippi  River,  and  cross  from  its  left  to 
its  right  bank,  with  the  more  important  of  the  great  flouring  mills  in  full  view. 

Leaving  Minneapolis,  he  will  once  moio  cross  the  river  to  its  left  bank,  which 
the  line  will  follow  for  the  next  125  miles,  though  separated  from  the  river, 
except  at  Elk  River  and  St.  Cloud,  by  a  stretch  of  prairie  and  woodland,  inter- 
spersed with  wheat  and  corn  fields,  too  considerable  to  admit  of  the  traveler 
getting  more  than  an  occasional  glimpse  of  its  waters,  flowing,  as  they  do,  in  a 
deep  channel  fringed  with  timber.  Forty-nine  miles  from  St.  Paul,  Big  Lake  is 
passed  on  the  right,  and,  fifteen  miles  farther,  Clear  Lake  on  the  left.  These, 
however,  are  but  "prairie  lakes,"  and  by  no  means  fair  representatives  of  the 
beautiful  lake  scenery  that  ,;as  given  this  State  so  great  a  reputation.  Presently 
the  spires  of  St.  Cloud  are  seen  rising  beyond  the  mass  of  dark  foliage  that 
lines  the  riv^er.  This  beautiful  city,  with  its  elm  and  maple  shaded  streets,  is 
the  judicial  seat  of  its  county;  its  manufacturing  industries  are  of  considerable 


\ 


10 


WONDERLAND. 


importance,  and  it  is  the  shipping  and  distributing  point  for  an  extensive  tract 
of  rich  and  well-settled  farming  country. 

A  sharp  bend  in  the  river  brings  it  into  immediate  proximity  to  the  railway, 
at  the  town  of  Sauk  Rapids.  For  a  moment  we  see  our  train  reflected  in  its 
waters;  but  its  winding  course  soon  carries  it  away,  until  another  sweep  once 
more  reveals  it  rolling  silently  along,  and  our  thoughts  revert  to  the  busy 
levees- of  New  Orleans,  2,300  miles  away,  where  dark-skinned  stevedores  toil 
with  the  cotton  and  the  sugar. 

In  another  hour  we  come  upon  the  pleasant  town  of  Little  Falls,  built  on  a 
level  stretch  of  prairie,  lying  between  the  railway  and  the  river,  and  possessing 
one  of  the  three  important  natural  water-powers  on  the  Upper  Mississippi. 
This  valuable  water-power  has  recently  been  improved  by  a  syndicate  of  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  capitalists  at  an  outlay  of  $200,000,  and  it  now  offers  unusual  induce- 
ments to  manufacturers.  From  this  point  there  goes  off  to  the  left  the  Little 
Falls  and  Dakota  division  of  the  great  railway  system  on  which  we  are  traveling. 
On  this  branch  are  situated  two  of  the  best  agricultural  towns  in  the  State, 
Sauk  Centre  and  Morris.  Its  chief  interest  for  the  tourist,  however,  lies  in  the 
fact  that  a  run  of  sixty  miles  would  bring  him  to  Glenwood,  a  charming  village 
situated  on  one  of  the  most  beautiful  lakes  in  the  State.  This  is  Lake  Minne- 
waska,  an  extensive  sheet  of  clear  water,  abounding  with  pickerel,  whitefish 
and  bass,  and  surrouniled  with  a  pebbly  beach  and  a  beautiful  border  of  timber. 
Report  says  that  in  May,  1S87,  three  visitors  to  Glenwood  caught  in  a  few 
hours  75  pickerel,  18  black  bass  and  a  number  of  other  species,  making  in  all 
120  lish  ;  and  that  two  days  later,  a  party  of  six  secured  in  a  single  day's  sport 
120  pickerel,  29  black  bass  and  23  pike. 

The  train  stopping  only  at  the  more  important  stations,  it  is  .not  long  before 
it  reaches  Brainerd,  the  City  of  the  Pines.  While  the  building  of  extensive 
railroad  machine  shops  has  given  a  great  impetus  to  the  growth  of  this  city, 
It  has  by  no  means  deprived  it  of  its  natural  attractions.  Within  a  radius  of 
fifteen  miles  are  many  lakes,  abounding  with  the  choicest  varieties,  of  fish; 
while  at  no  great  distance  the  sportsmau  will  find  the  finest  deer  hunting  in  the 
entire  State. 

The  traveler  may  be  surprised  to  learn  that  it  is  only  from  this  point  onward 
that  his  journey  lies  over  the  main  line  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad. 
Although  the  offices  of  the  company  are  situated  at  St.  Paul,  and  the  through 
trains  to  and  from  the  Pacific  Coast  make  that  city  their  eastern  terminus,  the 
main  line  really  extends  westward  from  Duluth,  at  the  head  of 

LAKE   SUPERIOR. 

Duluth  IS  a  city  of  so  much  interest  in  itself,  besides  ha/ing  various 
attractive  points  within  easy  reach  of  it,  that  the  tourist  may  feci  disposed  to 
take  advantage  of  connecting  trains  to  pay  it  a  brief  visit;  or  he  may  have 
traveled  from  the  East  by  the  Lake  route,  in  which  case  it  will  be  the  initial 
point  of  his  overland  journey. 

While  there  must  be  many  who  have  forgotten  the  precise  circumstances 
under  which  the  Hon.  Proctor  Knott,  of  Kentucky,  delivf  red,  in  the  House  of 


WONDERLAND. 


n 


an  extensive  tract 

ity  to  the  railway, 
n  reflected  in  its 
other  sweep  once 
;vert  to  the  busy 
;d  stevedores  toil 

e  Falls,  built  on  a 
er,  and  possessing 
Jpper  Mississippi, 
yndicate  of  Louis- 
rs  unusual  induce- 
the  left  the  Little 
h  we  are  traveling. 
)wns  in  the  State, 
owever,  lies  in  the 
a  charming  village 
lis  is  Lake  Minne- 
pickerel,  whitefish 
1  border  of  timber. 
1  caught  in  a  few 
cies,  making  in  all 
I  single  day's  sport 

;  is  .not  long  before 
Iding  of  extensive 
rowth  of  this  city, 
Within  a  radius  of 
;  varieties  of  fish; 
leer  hunting  in  the 

n  this  point  onward 
I  Pacific  Railroad. 
il,  and  the  through 
stern  terminus,  the 
of 

les   ha/ing   various 

ay  feel  disposed  to 

. ;  or  he  may  have 

will  be  the  initial 

ecise  circumstances 
;d,  in  the  House  of 


Representatives,  in  February,  187 1,  his  famous  speech  on  Duluth,  every  one 
knows  with  what  a  torrent  of  ridicule  he  overwhelmed  the  measure  then  under 
the  consideration  of  the  House.  That  remarkable  oratorical  effort  having 
recently  been  reprinted  by  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  with 
interlineations,  showing  the  present  condition  of  the  trade  and  commerce  of 
this  now  flourishing  city,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  state  that  while  it  was,  up  to  five 
years  ago,  a  straggling  village  of  no  commercial  importance,  it  is  now  almost  as 
formidable  a  rival  of  Minneapolis,  at  least  as  a  wheat  market,  as  that  city  is  of 
Chicago.  Mammoth  elevators  rise  on  every  hand ;  its  docks  and  wharves  are 
crowded  with  shipping;  and,  when  the  visitor  looks  down  upon  it  from  the  high 
ridge  on  whose  southern  slope  it  is  built,  he  hardly  knows  whether  to  admire 
the  more  the  beautiful  picture  spread  out  before  him,  or  those  evidences  of  com- 
mercial activity  which  are  already  justifying  the  prediction  that  the  excellent 
harbor  which  forms  the  most  westerly  point  of  the  most  westerly  of  the  great 
chain  of  lakes  is  destined  to  be  surrounded  by  one  of  the  greatest  commercial 
cities  on  the  continent.  Duluth  has  unexcelled  hotel  accommodations  and  a 
delightful  summer  climate.  It  offers,  also,  such  other  advantages  to  the  artist, 
the  geologist,  the  angler,  the  sportsman  and  the  health-seeker,  as  cannot  fail 
to  insure  its  continued  growth  in  popularity. 

The  neighboring  cities  of  Superior  and  West  Superior,  in  Wisconsin,  also 
possess  excellent  terminal  facilities,  which  will  doubtless  insure  to  them  no 
^mall  share  of  that  enormous  grain,  lumber,  coal  and  other  trade  which,  in 
annually  increasing  volume,  must  pay  tribute  on  transshipment  at  the  head  of 
the  lake. 

A  daily  service  of  through  trains  connects  Duluth,  Superior  and  West 
Superior  with  the  fashionable  summer  resort  of  Ashland,  at  which  point  the 
Northern  Pacific  trains  connect  with  those  of  the  Wisconsin  Central  and  Mil- 
waukee, Lake  Shore  &  Western  Railways  for  Chicago  and  the  East.  This 
beautiful  little  city  occupies  a  commanding  situation  overlooking  Chequamegon 
Bay.  It  has  one  of  the  largest  hotels  in  the  Northwest,  and  there  is  much  to 
interest  and  delight  the  traveler,  the  far-famed  Apostle  Islands  guarding  the 
entrance  to  the  bay,  while  the  teeming  waters  of  the  lake  and  the  innumerable 
trout  streams  that  discharge  themselves  into  it,  as  well  as  the  deer-haunted 
forests  that  encircle  it,  afford  unlimited  sport  for  the  angler  and  lover  of  the 
chase. 

The  most  famous  of  the  various  trout  streams  is  the  Bois  Brul6,  popirlarly 
known  as  the  Brule,  which  is  crossed  by  the  line  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad  ^t  a  point  almost  equidistant  between  Ashland  and  Duluth.  A  sports- 
man's hotel  has  been  erected  close  to  the  station,  and  its  limited  accommoda- 
tions are  taxed  to  the  utmost  during  the  season.  Only  an  ardent  disciple  of 
Izaak  Walton  can  understand  the  enthusiasm  to  which  anglers  visiting  this 
beautiful  spot  are  wrought  up.  The  river,  a  stream  of  clear,  cold  water, 
approaching  one  hundred  feet  in  breadth,  flows,  for  almost  its  entire  length, 
through  one  of  the  great  pine  forests  of  Wisconsin.     With  its  high  banks  and 


12 


WONDERLAND. 


free  from  low  or  marshy  ground,  it  is  an  ideal  trout  stream.  The  best  fishing 
IS  to  be  had  in  a  stretch  of  fourteen  miles,  extending  six  miles  above  and  eight 
miles  below  the  crossing  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad.  In  the  early  part 
of  the  season  the  fish  weigh  from  one-half  pound  to  one  pound  each,  but  in 
July  and  August  catches  of  three  and  four-pound  trout  are  an  every-day  occur- 
rence. In  the  surrounding  forests,  moose,  deer,  beaver  and  pheasant  are  found 
in  great  abundance,  and  the  shipments  of  venison  during  the  early  winter  are 
very  large.  Pike  Lake,  four  miles  east  of  Brule,  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water, 
teeming  with  the  voracious  fish  from  which  it  takes  its  name.  Here,  also,  fair 
accommodations  are  to  be  obtained. 

Returning  to  Duluth,  we  once  more  resume  our  journey  toward  the  land 
of  the  setting  sun.  The  line  to  Brainerd  follows,  for  many  miles,  the  winding 
valley  of  the  St.  Louis  River,  amid  scenery  for  the  most  part  stern  and  wild, 
yet  not  without  an  occasional  suggestion  of  the  gentler  beauty  of  the  far-off 
Alleghanies.  Between  Fond  du  Lac  and  Thompson,  the  river  has  a  descent  of 
500  feet  in  a  distance  of  twelve  miles,  tearing  its  way  with  terrific  force  through 
a  tortuous,  rock-bound  channel,  at  many  points  of  which  are  stratified  rocks  of 
an  interesting  character,  some  of  them  turned  on  edge.  The  best  point 
for  observing  the  fine  effpct  of  these  impetuous  rapids  and  cascades,  known 
locally  as  the  Dalles  of  the  St.  Louis,  is  between  Greeley  and  Thompson,  and 
near  the  twentieth  mile-post  westward  from  Duluth.  Onward  to  Brainerd, 
the  line  traverses  thick  forests,  abounding  with  deer,  bear,  wolves  and  var- 
ious other  game.  The  little  settlements  passed  at  remote  intervals  depend 
almo.st  entirely  upon  one  or  another  of  the  various  branches  of  the  lumber 
industry. 

The  Official  Guide  to  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  published  by  Riley 
Brothers,  of  St.  Paul,  and  sold  by  the  news  agents  on  the  trains,  gives  con- 
siderably more  information  relative  to  this  and  other  sections  traversed  by  the 
railroad  than  can  possibly  be  embodied  in  this  pamphlet,  designed,  as  it  is,  to 
serve,  within  less  than  oTie  hundred  pages,  the  double  purpjse  of  a  handbook 
for  the  traveler,  and  a  not-too-detailed  setting-forth  of  the  general  attractions 
of  the  Northwest,  for  those  who,  previous  to  taking  it  up,  had  never,  possibly, 
entertained  the  least  idea  of  visiting  it. 

Continuing  our  journey,  we  enter  that  most  beautiful  section  of  the  State 
known  as  the 

LAKE   PARK   REGION, 


with  its  richly  diversified  and  in  every  way  most  charming  scenery.  Before 
reaching  Detroit,  which  may  be  regarded  as  its  metropolis,  we  pass  the 
attractive  little  town  of  Wadena,  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  Fergus  Falls 
and  Black  Hills  Branch. 

This  line  runs  through  Fergus  Falls,  a  flourishing  town  with  some  impor- 
tant manufactories,  and  Walipeton,  an  agricultural  centre  of  some  note,  on 
the  Dakota  side  of  the  Red  River.     It  leads  also  to  the  pretty  little  village  of 


WONDERLAND. 


18 


The  best  fishing 

above  and  eight 

n  the  early  part 

and  each,  but  in 

every-day  occur- 

easant  are  found 

early  winter  are 

1  sheet  of  water, 

Here,  also,  fair 

■  toward  the  land 
iles,  the  winding 

stern  and  wild, 
ty  of  the  far-off 

has  a  descent  of 
ific  force  through 
tratified  rocks  of 

The   best  point 

cascades,  known 
1  Thompson,  and 
ird  to  Brainerd, 
wolves  and  var- 
intervals  depend 
;s  of  the  lumber 

blished  by  Riley 
rains,  gives  con- 
traversed  by  the 
gned,  as  it  is,  to 
e  of  a  handbook 
ineral  attractions 
\  never,  possibly, 

;tion  of  the  State 


scenery.  Before 
lis,  we  pass  tlie 
he    Fergus    Falls 

with  some  impor- 
:)f  some  note,  on 
y  little  village  of 


Battle  Lake,  deriving  its  name  from  the  large  and  beautiful  sheet  of  water 
on  which  it  is  situated.  There  are  no  fewer  than  sixteen  other  lakes  and  lake- 
lets within  five  miles  of  this  charming  resort,  their  various  waters  teeming  with 
the  choicest  varieties  of  finny  game,  and  their  shores  haunted  by  water  fowl  in 
great  numbers. 

A  well-deserved  tribute  to  the  excellence  of  the  Battle  Lake  fishing  grounds 
appeared  in  the  American  Angler  of  June  ii,  1887,  where,  after  chronicling 
the  success  met  with  by  a  party  of  six  gentlemen  who  caught  600  wall-eyed 
pike  and  pickerel  between  9.00  a.  m.  and  8.30  p.  m.,  it  is  stated  that,  "  instead 
of  decreasing,  the  fish  in  the  Battle  Lake  waters  have  increased  to  such  an 
extent  that,  on  a  fair  day,  bass  and  pike  can  be  seen  lying  at  the  bottom  of  the 
lake  by  thousands,"  and  also  that  "at  the  lower,  or  eastern,  end  of  the  lake,  the 
black  bass  are  so  numerous  that  a  man  has  hardly  time  to  put  a  new  bait  on 
one  hock  before  another  fish  has  grabbed  the  second  "  Four  weeks  later,  the 
same  journal  recorded  the  fact  of  three  gentlemen  .rom  Kansas  City  having 
caught,  in  one  afternoon,  144  wall-eyed  pike,  seventeen  pickerel  and  seven  dog- 
fish, weighing,  in  all,  817  pounds.  About  the  same  date  another  party  visited 
the  fishing  grounds  about  two  miles  east  of  the  boat-house,  and  caught  in  two 
hours  144  black  bass  and  a  large  quantity  of  rock  bass. 

Returning  to  Wadena,  and  resuming  our  jV)urney  westward,  we  come  to 
Perham,  a  little  town  in  the  vicinity  of  which  is  a  cluster  of  lakes  whose  waters 
are  said  to  abound  with  wall-eyed  pike,  pickerel  and  rock  bass,  as  well  as  the 
gamy  black  and  Oswego  bass.  These  lakes  have  been  but  little  visited 
by  the  tourist.  The  next  point  of  interest  is  Detroit,  a  beautiful  little 
city,  equally  attractive  to  the  angler,  the  sportsman,  the  health-seeker  and  the 
mere  votary  of  country  pleasures.  The  accomplished  editor  of  the  American 
Angler,  writing  in  his  well-known  journal,  after  a  recent  tour  in  the  North 
west,  stated  that  during  a  life  oi  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  as  an  angler, 
no  experience  with  the  rod  had  equaled,  in  variety  and  weight,  the  two  days' 
fishing  he  had, had  on  Detroit  Lake.  Nor  was  Mr.  Harris'  success  exceptional. 
A  score  of  100  pounds  per  day,  on  two  rods,  is,  as  he  goes  on  to  say,  consid- 
ered quite  a  modest  record.  Eastern  anglers  certainly  have  no  conception  how 
full  of  fine  fish,  of  many  varieties,  these  Minnesota  lakes  are.  For  black  and 
rock  bass,  mascalonge,  pickerel,  wall-eyed  pike,  and  an  infinite  variety  of 
smaller  fish,  a  recent  writer  in  the  American  Angler  pronounces  Detroit  Lake 
"the  finest  fishing  ground  on  the  continent."  In  another  recent  issue  of  the 
same  journal,  Mr.  Harris  refers  to  Detroit  Lake  as  "the  famed  home  of  the 
black  bass  and  pike  (pickerel),"  while,  in  yet  another,  a  visitor  declares  that  "a 
mere  novice  in  the  art  of  fishing  can  take  all  the  fish  he  may  desire,  without 
anv  aid  or  skill,"  and  that  it  is  considered  "  no  good  day  if  one  cannot  score 
frL  .1  50  to  100  pounds  of  fish  each  day." 

There  are  perhaps  few  things  more  unreasonable  than  the  universal  inclina- 
tion to  discount  everything  in  the  nature  of  a  "  fish  story;"  for,  if  there  is  one 
department  of  human  experience  in  which,  above  all  others,  "truth  is  stranger 


14 


WONDERLAND. 


than  fiction,"  it  is  in  the  achievements  of  the  gentle  angler.  Nothing,  for  example, 
is  further  removed  from  all  possibility  of  mistake  or  exaggeration  than  the  fact 
that  three  recent  visitors  to  Detroit  took  in,  as  the  result  of  less  than  three  days' 
work,  603  pike,  138  black  bass,  178  rock  bass,  28  catfish,  and  25  pickerel,  the 
entire  catch  weighing  2,321  pounds,  or  nearly  300  pounds  per  day  for  each  man. 
The  Hotel  Minnesota,  which  occupies  a  beautiful  situation  overlooking  the 
lake,  is  declared   on   the   highest  authority  to   be   "  a  gem  of  a  hostelry  for 


^tss-. 


SLEEPING  CAR  INTERIOR  ON  THE  WONDERLAND  ROUTE. 

anglers,"  every  convenience  they  could  wish  for  being  obtainable  at  moderate 
charges.  The  scenic  attractions  of  this  locality  are  likewise  of  no  common 
order,  the  natural  features  of  the  surrounding  country  being  of  the  most 
diversified  character.  So  pure  and  invigorating  also  is  the  atmcspiiere  that  hay 
fever  and  malarial  diseases  are  absolutely  '.luknown.  Among  various  pleasant 
excursions  for  which  Detroit  is  a  convenient  centre  is  that  to  White  Earth 
Indian  Reservation,  twenty  miles  distant.     Another  is  afforded  by  the  long  chain 


W 


WONDERLAND. 


16 


ling,  for  example, 

tion  than  the  fact 
than  three  days' 
25  pickerel,  the 

day  for  each  man. 
overlooking  the 

of  a  hostelry  for 


nable  at  moderate 
se  of  no  common 
)eing  of  the  most 
.mo.spiiere  that  hay 
g  various  pleasant 
It  to  White  Earth 
\  by  the  long  chain 


of  lakes  which  extends  southward  almost  to  Fergus  Falls.  A  small  steamer  will 
be  placed  upon  these  lakes  for  the  season  of  1889,  making  the  grand  tour  at 
frequent  intervals.  Thirteen  miles  west  is  Lake  Park,  another  charming  resort, 
having  good  fishing,  a  delightful  climaie,  and  all  the  various  other  attractions 
common  to  the  district. 

Another  half-hour's  ride,  and  we  are  at  Winnipeg  Junction,  from  which  point 
a  branch  known  as  the  Duluth  and  Manitoba  line  runs  northward  to  the  inter- 
national boundary,  where  it  connects  with  a  line  to  Winnipeg,  recently  constructed 
by  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  under  the  supervision  of  the  Provincial  Gov- 
ernment of  Manitoba.  Before  entering  the  British  Possessions,  this  important 
extension  of  the  Northern  Pacific  system  passes  through  Grand  Forks,  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  prosperous  towns  in  the  entire  Territory  of  Dakota;  the 
flourishing  little  city  of  Grafton,  the  judicial  seat  and  principal  shipping  point 
of  the  rich  county  of  Walsh;  the  rapidly  growing  town  of  Drayton,  and  the  old 
city  of  Pembina.  A  branch  is  now  in  course  of  construction  from  Winnipeg 
westward  to  Portage  la  Prairie,  and  the  summer  of  1889  will  see  one  built  from 
Morris,  Man.,  a  point  on  the  main  line  of  the  N.  P.  &  M.  Ry.,  forty-one  miles 
south  of  Winnipeg,  to  Brandon,  the  second  city  in  size  and  importance  in  the 
Province. 

We  are  now  approaching  the  western  boundary  of  the  State,  here  formed  by 
the  famous  Red  River  of  the  North,  whose  fringe  of  timber  appears  as  a  dark 
line  on  the  horizon  for  almost  a  full  hour  before  the  sluggish  waters  of  the  river 
come  into  view. 

Before  entering  the  Territory  of  Dakota,  now  lying  before  u:-i,  it  may  be 
well  to  cast  a  retrospective  glance  at  the  marvelous  development  of  which  it 
has  been  the  ■'cene  during  an  astonishingly  brief  period  of  time.  Beginning 
no  further  back  than  1861,  we  see  it  first  organized  as  a  Territory,  in  which  were 
included  the  whole  of  Eastern  Montana  and  a  portion  of  what  is  now 
\S'^yoming,  its  entire  population  numbering  less  than  3,000.  The  United  States 
census  of  1870  found  it  with  its  area  reduced  to  its  present  limits,  and  with 
a  population  of  12,887,  mainly  settled  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  Territory, 
along  the  Missouri  River.  The  next  decade  saw  the  beginning  of  a  truly 
marvelous  transformation;  and  by  the  summer  of  1880  its  population  had 
increased  to  135,180,  of  whom  51,793  were  of  foreign  birth.  But,  rapid  as  was 
the  increase  of  the  Territory  in  population  and  corresponding  production  from 
1877  to  1880,  its  growth  since  the  beginning  of  the  present  decade  has  far 
exceeded  the  largest  expectations  that  its  earlier  progress,  marvelous  though  it 
was,  would  at  all  have  justified.  Already  its  135,180  inhabitants  in  1880  h>'ve 
become  675,000;  the  7,352,589  bushels  of  cereals  have  grown  to  141,058,031 
bushels,  62,553,499  bushels  of  which  represent  its  ivheat  crop  for  r887 
(exceeding  by  one-half  that  of  any  other  State  or  Territory) ;  its  six  national 
and  eighteen  private  banks  have  increased  to  no  fewer  than  318;  its  698  miles 
of  railroad  have  multiplied  six-fold,  so  that  they  already  exceed  the  mileage 
of  twenty-six  States  of  the  Union;  while  the  limited  provision  then  made  for 
the  education  of  the  young  is  lost  in  tiie  4,065  public  schools  now  in  operation. 


f L 


16 


WONDERLAND. 


These  astonishing  facts,  however,  but  faintly  foreshadow  what  coming  years 
will  witness.  The  historian  Alison,  writing  in  1828,  likened  the  gradual  and  con- 
tinuous progress  of  the  European  race  toward  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  a  deluge 
of  men,  rising  unabatedly,  and  daily  driven  onward  by  the  hand  of  God.  But, 
at  that  time,  the  State  of  Illinois,  but  half-way  toward  the  Rooky  Mountains,  and 
one-third  of  the  way  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  was  almost  the  limit  of  its  mighty  flow. 
VViscoi  >in,  with  no  noteworthy  settlements  of  its  own,  formed  part  of  the 
Territory  of  Michigan ;  Iowa  was  an  altogether  vacant  region,  without  any 
form  of  organized  government ;  while  other  great  States  of  to-day  were  still  either 
mere  parts  of  the  Louisiana'  Purchase,  with  no  separate  identity,  or  were  com- 
prised within  the  then  far-extending  territory  of  the  Republic  of  Mexico. 

But  in  the  settlement  of  various  sections  of  the  Great  West,  history  repeats 
itself,  and  the  experience  of  one  is  the  experience  of  all.  No  one  could, 
five  short  years  ago,  have  predicted  that  the  year  1889  would  witness,  in  North 
Dakota,  such  splendid  achievements  as  are  here  related,  without  exciting 
more  or  less  merriment ;  but,  in  view  of  what  has  already  been  done,  it  is 
surely  against  the  man  who  would  doubt  that  the  near  future  will  see  all  this 
multiplied  seven-fold  that  the  laugh  will  now  be  turned.  So  enormous  is  the 
area  available  for  agricultural  purposes,  that,  were  the  whole  of  this  great 
region  capable  of  being  *brought  into  view  at  one  time,  even  those  vast  wheat 
fields,  whose  fame  has  traveled  so  far,  would  be  seen  to  cover  but  a  small  part 
of  its  immense  expanse. 

The  population  of  the  Territory,  moreover,  is  still  less  than  five  to  the  square 
mile,  as  against  221  in  Massachusetts  ;  and  it  will  have  to  number  more  than 
three  million  souls  before  it  equals  in  density  even  that  of  the  sparsely  popu- 
'  lated  State  of  Maine. 

Where  the  railroad  crosses  the  Red  River,  there  have  sprung  up  two  impor- 
tant cities,  Moorhead.  in  Minnesota,  and  Fargo,  in  Dakota.  As  the  point  from 
which  the  great  tide  of  immigration  that  poured  into  the  Territory  in  1882  dis- 
tributed itself  over  the  surrounding  country,  Fargo  acquired  a  prestige  and 
laid  the  foundations  of  a  commercial  greatness  that  have  since  been  largely 
increased  by  its  becoming  a  railroad  centre  of  some  importance,  as  well  as  by  the 
gradual  bringing  under  cultivation  of  the  rich  country  naturally  tributary  to  it. 
Its  fine  brick  business  blocks  and  other  buildings  would  do  credit  to  cities  ten 
times  its  size,  as  would  also  .ts  water-works  and  its  telephonic  and  electric  light 
systems,  which  are  among  the  most  complete  and  efficient  anywhere  to  be  found. 

Scarcely  have  we  resumed  our  journey  before  we  are  looking  out  upon  those 
vast  wheat  fields  which  have  earned  for  this  portion  of  the  Territory  the  desig- 
nation of  the 

GRANARY  OF  THE  WORLD. 

At  Dalrymple,  eighteen  miles  from  Fargo,  and  at  Castleton,  two  miles 
farther  west,  are  the  great  wheat  farms  of  Mr,  Oliver  Dalrymple,  comprising 
some  50,000  acres. 


WONDERLAND. 


17 


The  gigantic  scale  upon  which  wheat  growing  is  here  carried  on  is  well- 
nigh  incredible  to  any  one  familiar  only  with  the  more  limited  operations 
obtaining  in  the  older  States.  Before  harvest  operations  begin,  the  eye  wanders 
over  an  apparently  illimitable  field  of  golden  grain  ;  and,  when  the  long  proces- 
sion of  reaping  machines  moves  out,  the  traveler,  be  he  ever  so  unimpressionable, 
cannot  but  be  profoundly  moved,  as  he  sees  the  ingathering,  on  so  prodigious 
a  scale,  of  the  food  of  toiling  millions  in  the  great  cities  of  the  world. 

Passing  various  healthy-looking  little  settlements,  the  train  presently  runs 
down  into  the  valley  of  the  James,  or  Dakota,  River,  said  to  be  the  longest 
unnavigable  river  on  the  continent,  its  flow  for  hundreds  of  miles  being  distin- 
guished by  scarcely  any  perceptible  increase  of  volume.  From  the  attractive 
and  flourishing  little  city  of  Jamestown,  which  has  sprung  up  here,  branch 
lines  extend  northward  ninety  miles,  to  Minnewaukan,  and  southward  sixty- 
nine  miles,  to  Oakes.  The  terminus  of  the  former  is  situated  on  Devil's  Lake 
a  remarkable  body  of  salt  water  about  45  miles  in  length,  and  from  a  few 
hundred  yards  to  seven  miles  in  width.  The  attractions  of  its  shores  for  the 
tourist,  angler  and  sportsman,  are  of  no  common  order,  its  scenery  being 
picturesque,  its  climate  salubrious,  fish  and  game  plentiful,  and  its  hotel 
accommodations  comfortable,  if  not  luxurious.  On  its  south  shore  is  the 
United  States  military  post  of  Fort  Totten,  adjoining  a  small  Indian  resei- 
vation. 

It  may  be  stated  in  this  connection  that  one  of  the  special  attractions  01 
North  Dakota  for  the  sportsman  is  to  be  found  in  the  innumerable  flocks  of 
wild  geese  that  fly  southward  in  the  fall.  An  interesting  article  on  liiis  subject 
appeared  in  the  American  Field  of  March  12,  1887,  entitled  "Goose  Shooting 
on  Dakota  stubbles."  The  sportsman  cannot  do  wrong  in  establishing  his 
temporary  headquarters  at  any  of  the  larger  settlements  along  the  line,  and  he 
will  always  find  station  agents,  hotel  keepers,  and  local  sportsmen  prepared  to 
give  him  all  the  information  and  assistance  in  their  power. 

At  La  Moure,  a  substantial  town  on  the  branch  extending  southward,  con- 
nection is  made  with  another  important  branch  extending  southwestward  from 
Fargo.  The  lat'^r  has,  at  the  present  writing,  its  terminus  at  Edgeley,  and  is 
especially  noteworthy  on  account  of  its  traversing  the  largest  body  of  unoccu- 
pied land  adapted  to  wheat  raising,  east  of  the  Missouri  River. 

Between  the  valleys  of  the  James  and  Missouri  Rivens,  here  about  100  miles 
apart,  there  is  a  high  table-land,  1,850  feet  above  sea-level,  450  feet  above  the 
station  at  Jamestown,  and  about  250  feet  above  the  Missouri  River  at  low 
water,  and  known  geographically  as  the  ("oteaux  de  Missouri.  It  extends  north- 
ward far  into  the  British  possessions,  and  is  pronounced  by  Dr.  G.  M.  Dawson, 
the  eminent  Canadian  geologist,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  results  of  glacial 
.action  on  the  American  continent.  Several  large  and  well-managed  farms 
attract  the  traveler's  attention  as  the  train  carries  him  over  this  great  plateau, 
and  down  to  the  valley  of  the  Missouri,  on  whose  left  bank,  195  miles  west  of 
Fargo,  the  train  stops  for  a  few  moments  at  Bismarck,  the  capital  of  the 
Territory. 


fi 


18 


WONDERLAND. 


The  great  river  and  its  tributaries  liave  no  less  tiian  two  thousand  miles 
of  navigable  waters  above  this  point,  and  Bismarck,  while  yet  a  small  city, 
enjoyed,  for  some  years,  an  extensive  river  trade  witli  the  different  settlements 
lying  to  the  Northwest;  as  much  3345,000,000  pounds  of  freight  having  be^n 
transported  in  a  single  brief  season  of  navigation.  The  removal  of  the  seat  of 
Territorial  governmeitt  from  Yankton  to  this  more  central  and  progressive  city, 
and  the  gradual  settling-up  of  the  fine  agricultural  country  tributary  to  it,  have 
greatly  stimulated  its  growth,  and  it  now  presents  quite  an  impo  -^  appear- 
ance, as  it  gently  rises  from  the  level  of  the  railroad,  with  Cap  Hill  and 
its  fine  group  of  government  buildings  surmounting  it  on  the  north. 

Quietly  drawing  out  of  the  station,  the  train  gradually  approaches  that 
magnificent  bridge  by  which  the  railroad  is  carried  over  the  muddy  waters  of 
the  Missouri  River.  Even  though  he  should  cross  it  during  the  dry  season,  the 
traveler  can  scarcely  fail  to  be  impressed  with  the  breadth  and  volume  of  this 
great  river,  which  is  here  2,800  feet  from  bank  to  bank,  although  1,887  miles 
from  its  confluence  with  the  Mississippi  and  3,260  miles  from  the  ocean.  The 
bridge,  which  is  of  immense  strength,  but  not  more  substantial  than  it  is  grace- 
ful, consists  of  three  spans,  each  of  400  feet,  and  two  approach  spans,  each  of 
113  feet,  with  a  long  stretch  of  strongly  built  trestle-work  at  its  wci^tern  approach. 

Across  the  river,  the  train*  runs  into  the  pleasant  little  city  of  Mandan, 
situated  in  the  midst  of  a  grassy  plain,  that  is  really  an  expansion  of  the  Heart 
River  Valley.  Mandan  has  an  extensive  trade  with  the  country  naturally  tribu- 
tary to  it,  and  is  the  eastern  and  western  terminus,  respectively,  of  the  Missouri 
and  Dakota  Divisions  of  the  railroad.  In  its  vicinity  are  some  interesting  pre- 
historic mounds,  the  partial  exploration  of  which  has  brought  to  light  a  large 
quantity  of  human  bones  of  extraordinary  size,  mixed  with  beautiful  specimens  of 
broken  pottery,  as  well  as  vases  of  various  bright  colors,  filled  with  flints  and 
agates.  The  train  stopping  at  Mandan  twenty  minutes,  the  tourist  can  spend  a 
little  time  very  pleasantly  in  the  Indian  Bazaar  of  Messrs.  W.  S.  Barrows  isiQo., 
which  opens  on  to  the  station  platform.  He  will  find  there  one  of  the  largest 
and  finest  collections  of  game  heads,  horns  and  Indian  curiosities  in  the  entire 
West. 

Resuming  his  journey,  he  can  scarcely  fail  to  be  struck  with  the  very  different 
appearance  presented  by  the  country  from  that  through  which  he  has  been 
passing  since  he  emerged  from  the  Lake  Park  region  of  Minnesota  on  to.  the 
broad  and  level  or,  at  most,  gently  undulating  prairie.  He  no  longer  looks  out 
upon  immense  wheat  fields,  stretching  away  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  or  upon 
bright,  grassy  plains,  flecked  withllie  rich  and  varied  colors  of  innumerable  wild 
flowers.  On  the  contrary,  the  country  is  decidtidly  hilly,  often  breaking  into 
abrupt  bluffs.  Its  magnificent  agricultural  capabilities  have,  however,  been  fully 
proved  by  the  settlers  who  have  taken  up  their  residence  within  it,  and  who,  by 
the  way,  enjoy  many  advantages  that  are  denied  to  dwellers  on  the  prairie, 
among  which  may  be  mentioned  an  abundance  of  cheap  fuel,  building  stone, 
limestone,  brick   and  clay,   and  al.so  a   somewhat   earlier  spring.     The   most 


WONDERLAND. 


19 


lousand  miles 
a  small  city, 
It  settlements 
t  having  be^n 
of  the  seat  of 
ogressive  city, 
ary  to  it,  have 
10  ■\  appear- 
p  Hill  and 
th. 

)proaches  that 
iddy  waters  of 
dry  season,  the 
/olume  of  this 
gh  1,8^7  miles 
e  ocean.     The 
ban  it  is  grace- 
spans,  each  of 
.stern  approach. 
y  of    Mandan, 
)n  of  the  Heart 
naturally  tribu- 
of  the  Missouri 
interesting  pre- 
to  light  a  large 
111  specimens  of 
with  flints  and 
rist  can  spend  a 
Barrows  &  Co., 
e  of  the  largest 
,es  in  the  entire 

le  very  different 
h  he   has   been 
lesota  on  to.  the 
onger  looks  out 
1  reach,  or  upon 
iinumerable  wild 
n  breaking  into 
A-ever,  been  fully 
1  it,  and  who,  by 
on  the   prairie, 
building  stone, 
Ing.     The   most 


important  settlements  in  this  region  are  New  Salem,  from  which  an  exceptionally 
fine  agricultural  country  extends  nortinvard  to  the  Knife  River  Valley;  Sims, 
where  250  tons  of  lignite  coal  of  excellent  quality  are  mined  daily;  Hebron,  a 
beautifully  situated  settlement,  founded  by  the  Evangelical  Colonization  Society 
of  Chicago,  and  rapidly  increasing  in  population  ;  Gladstone,  founded  by  a 
colony  from  Ripon,  Wisconsin,  and  named  in  honor  of  the  great  English  states- 
man; and  Dickinson,  the  most  important  of  them  all,  having  extensive  ship 
ments,  both  of  cattle  and  agricultural  produce.  Twenty-four  miles  south  of  the 
last-named  point,  a  New  England  colony,  chiefly  from  Vermont,  was  established 
on  well-selected  farming  lands,  m  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Cannon  Ball 
River,  during  the  summer  of  1887. 

The  appearance  at  intervals  of  large  herds  of  cattle  will    indicate  to   the 
traveler  that  he  is  entering  the 


GREAT  STOCK   REGION 

of  the  Northwest.  Notwithstanding  thaWso  rhuch  has  been  written  with  a  view 
to  the  removal  of  the  widespread  misconception  that  exists  with  regard  to  the 
northwestern  winter,  the  idea  that  it  is  one  of  almost  arctic  severity  is  clung  to 
so  tenaciously,  that  statements  of  which  the  very  air  must  be  weary  have  to  be 
reiterated  again  and  again.  Once  more,  therefore,  let  it  be  declared  that  so  long 
as  cattle  have  a  plentiful  supply  of  the  highly  nutritious  native  grasses  of  the 
country,  they  can  stand  almost  any  degree  of  cold  without  serious  suffering  or 
loss  of  flesh;  that  the  snowfall  between  the  Red  River  and  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains is  considerably  less  than  it  is  in  Iowa  or  northern  Illinois;  and  that  even 
the  lowest  temperatures  that  obtain  in  this  region  cause  much  less  inconvenience 
and  suffering  than  does  a  temperature  of  zero  in  the  latitude  of  Chicago,  in 
accordance  with  the  \Vell-known  law  of  nature  that  cold,  dry  air  abstracts  heat 
from  the  body  much  less  rapidly  than  cold,  moist  air.  This  last-named  fact 
some  extraordinarily  "  smart  "  man  may  be  disposed  to  look  upon  as  an 
ingenious  device  of  the  boomer  to  beguile  the  unwary.  It  may  therefore  be 
well  to  add  that  the  law  has  been  reduced  to  a  mathematical  formula,  and  that 
it  has  been  ascertained  that  in  the  time  that  it  would  take  a  perfectly  dry 
atmosphere  to  reduce  the  temperature  of  the  human  body  eight  degrees, 
exposure  to  air  of  the  same  temperature,  but  fully  saturated  with  moisture,  would 
reduce  it  no  less  than  thirty-three  degrees.  Apropos  of  the  comparatively  light 
snowfall,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  various  stage  lines  connecting  the  railroad 
with  more  or  less  distant  settlements  have  been  known  not  to  miss  a  single  trip 
or  to  be  more  than  a  few  hours  late,  during  an  entire  winter. 

For  1 20  miles  westward  from  Mandan,  the  line  traverses  the  valley  of  the  Heart 
River.  Twenty  miles  west  of  Dickinson  it  enters  the  singular  and  picturesque 
region  known  as  the  Bad  Lands  of  the  Little  Missouri, — not,  as  might  be  sup- 
posed,   from   their    unfitness    for   agricultural   or   stock-raising   purposes,  but 


IN  THE  YELLOWSTONE  VALLEY. 


(») 


^ 


WONDER /..LVD. 


SI 


frr)ni  llie  dcsi^jnation  bcslowed  upon  them  by  the  early  l-'rcnch  i'i>Ytigcurs,  who 
described  tlieiii  as  inivivaisis  tcrrcs pour  traverser. 

Our  approach  to  this  iiiiiciue  section  of  country  is  announced  l)y  tiie  occa- 
sional ap[)earance  of  a  conical  butte,  whose  stratifications  exiiibit  considerable 
variety  of  color.  These  increase  in  frecjuency,  until,  at  last,  we  suddenly  find 
ourselves  surrounded  by  scenery  of  the  most  extraordinary  character,  the  entire 
face  of  the  country  bcinjj  broken  up  into  domes,  pyramids,  mimic  castles  and 
other  architectunU  forms,  whose  weird  and  fantastic  appearance  is  not  a  little 
hei.!j;htened  by  the  wealth  of  color  in  which  they  are  arrayed.  Composed 
larjfely  of  clay  solidified  by  pressure,  they  are  in  various  staj^es  of  conversion 
into  terra  cotta,  by  the  slow  combustion  of  underlying  masses  of  lignite,  and  it 
is  to  the  clay,  baked  and  unbaked,  the  coal  of  iine(]ual  quality  and  the  vegetation 
not  altogether  absent  from  their  slopes,  that  they  are  iiuh  l)ted  for  the  vivid 
and  startling  contrasts  of  color  they  present.  The  almost  Plutonic  appearance 
of  the  .scene  is  contributed  to,  also,  by  huge  petrifactions  and  vast  luasses  of 
scoria,  and  still  more  by  the  fire  which,  at  various  points,  is  seen  i.ssuing  from 
the  ground,  and  the  smoke  that  proceeds  from  it.  Notwithstanding  all  this, 
however,  thousands  of  cattle  may,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  be  seen 
grazing  on  the  rich  grasses  of  its  valleys  and  ravines.  From  Medora  excursions 
may  be  made  to  Cedar  Canon,  one  of  the  most  interesting  localities  in  the  Bad 
Lands,  and  the  burning  mine,  perhaps  the  most  extensive  of  the  various  sub- 
terranean fires  of  this  extraordinary  region. 

Si.xteen  miles  beyond  the  Little  Missouri,  we  pass  .  entinel  Butte,  a  lofty 
peak  rising  precipitously  from  the  plain;  and  in  a  few  minutes  more  our  atten- 
tion is  arrested  by  a  tall  pole,  surmounted  by  a  handsome  pair  of  antlers,  which 
serves  to  mark  the  boun-aary  between  Dakota  and  Montana.  Here  we  are  at 
an  elevation  of  2,840  f  jet  above  sea-level,  the  highest  point  we  have  yet  attained. 
In  crossing  the  great  Territory  of  Dakota,  we  have  traveled  as  far  as  from  New 
York  to  Petersburg,  Va.,  or  from  Boston  or  Providence  to  Montreal.  Li  travers- 
ing that  of  Montana,  we  perform  a  journey  almost  equal  to  the  distance  from 
New  York  to  Indianapolis.  Such  are  the  dimensions  of  the  future  great  States 
of  the  Northwest !     We  are  now  approaching — 

"  That  desolate  land  and  lone 
Where  the  IJig  Horn  ami  Yellowstone 
Roar  down  their  mountain  path." 

Forty  miles  west  of  the  Territorial  boundary,  we  come  to  Glendive,  an 
important  centre  of  the  grazing  industry,  and  a  divisional  terminus  of  the  rail- 
road. We  are  now  in  the  far-famed  Yellowstone  Valley,  whose  various 
windings  we  shall  follow,  more  or  less  closely,  for  the  next  340  miles.  As  is 
the  case  with  the  other  great  geographic  1  divisions  into  which  the  enormous 
stretch  of  country  traversed  by  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  naturally  falls, 
this  valley  would  itself  afford  sufficient  material  for  a  volume  of  no  incon- 
siderable size;  and  it  is  only  by  reason  of  the  limited  space  at  his  disposal,  that 
the  writer  has  to  pass  rapidly  from  one  principal  point  of  interest  to  another, 


23  MONDEKLAND. 

leaving  the  traveler  to  discover  for  liimself  the  minor  natural  featiires> 
the  social  conditions,  agricultural  methods,  and  whatever  else  is  |)eculiai 
to  the  country  or  its  iiiha!)itants. 

Of  the  valley  itself,  it  may  be  said  brielly  that  it  varies  from  five  to  ten 
miles  in  width,  and  that  it  is  inclosed  by  high  bluffs  of  clay  and  sandstone, 
whose  curious  forms  occasionally  remind  one  of  the  Had  Lands,  though  lacking 
in  color;  and  of  the  river,  that  its  waters,  save  wherbswollen  by  heavy  rain,  or  by 
the  melting  of  the  snow  on  the  mountains,  are,  unlike  those  of  the  Missouri, 
bright  and  clear;  and  that  it  has  many  important  affluents,  whose  fertile  and 
beautiful  valleys  are  the  chosen  locations  of  fortunate  r(inchmen,  and  the  feed- 
ing grounds  of  their  flocks  and  herds. 

Miles  City,  78  miles  west  of  Glendive,  was,  in  days  gone  by,  the  principal 
rendezvous  of  the  hunter,  and  as  many  as  250,000  buffalo  hides  have  been 
shipped  cast  from  this  point  in  a  single  season.  In  those  days  its  gambling 
houses  were  in  full  swing  day  and  night,  Sunday  and  week-day,  and  its  by  no 
means  sparsely  tenanted  cemetery  contained  the  graves  of  only  three  persons 
who  had  not  met  violent  death;-.  Now,  however,  all  this  is  changed,  albeit  this 
is  the  land  of  the  cowboy,  an  enfant  terrible  \.o  those  who  know  him  only  from 
sensational  newspaper  paragraphs,  but  a  gallant,  generous  and  not  unfrecjuently 
scholarly  fellow  to  those  thrown  into  immediate  contact  with  him.  The  recent 
development  of  the  grazing  industry  in  western  Dakota  and  eastern  Montana 
has  been  not  less  remarkable  than  that  of  wheat  raising  on  the  Dakota  prairies, 
and  the  economist  who  should  turn  to  the  United  States  census  reports  of  1880 
for  the  present  condition  of  this  region  would  be  led  seriously  astray.  In  i88o, 
Montana  contained  490,000  cattle  and  502,000  slieep.  According  to  a  recent 
report  of  the  Governor  of  the  Territory,  it  now  conains  1,700,000  cattle  and 
horses,  and   upward  of  2,000,000  sheep. 

Leaving  Miles  City,  with  its  handsome  groves  of  cottonwood  and  the  sub- 
stantial brick  business  blocks  which  have  taken  the  place  of  the  log  huts  and 
hastily-built  frame  shanties  of  which  it  consisted  when  the  writer  first  visited  it 
in  the  spring  of  1882,  we  cross  the  Tongue  River,  and  in  a  few  minutes  are 
passing  Fort  Keogh,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  beautiful  military  posts  in  the 
entire  country. 

There  are  but  few  Indians  now  to  be  seen  along  the  line  of  the  railroad,  and 
those  are  engaged  in  agricultural  and  industrial  pursuits.  The  extinction  of  the 
buffalo  has  rendered  the  Indian  much  more  amenable  to  the  civilizing  influences 
brought  to  bear  upon  him  than  he  formerly  was,  and  very  fair  crops  of  grain 
are  being  raised  at  some  of  the  agencies.  At  the  Devil's  Lake  agency,  for 
example,  60,000  bushels  of  wheat  have  been  raised  by  the  Indians  in  a  single 
season,  and  purchased  by  the  Government  at  %\  per  100  pounds.  The  Crows, 
along  the  northern  border  of  whose  reservation — nearly  as  large  as  the  State  of 
Massachusetts — the  railroad  runs  for  200  miles,  are  said  to  be  the  richest  nation 
in  the  world  in  proportion  to  their  numbers,  their  wealth  aggregating  $3,500 
per  head.     This,  however,  is  due  to  the  natural  increase  of  their  live  stock. 


uox/)/:h'/..ixn. 


88 


consisting  chielly  of  ponies,  rather  than  to  llicir  own  iiuliistry  and  thrift. 
'I'ht'ir  great  reservation  is  probai)iy  the  garden  spot  of  Montana,  and  the  thr(>w- 
ing  open  of  a  large  portion  of  it  to  settlement,  which  cannot  long  Ijc  delayed, 
will  assuredly  give  an  immense  impetus  to  the  agricultural  interests  of  the 
Territory. 

It  does  not  require  a  large  population  in  a  country  like  this  to  make  a  town 
that  shall  dominate  a  very  extensive  region,  and  we  have  in  Hillings,  which 
next  calls  for  notice,  a  little  city,  with  not  more  (han  3,000  inhabitants,  but  the 
metropolis,  nevertheless,  of  a  region  larger  than  Maine,  South  Carolina,  West 
Virginia  or  Indiana,  An  nnportant  shipping  point  for  cattle,  and  distributing 
point  for  eastern  manufactured  products,  it  has  two  of  the  most  important 
mining  districts  in  the  'I'erritory  tributary  to  it,  whiL  ii  has  coal  of  a  good  (juality 
within  a  short  distance,  and  likewise  excellent  saiulstone. 

'lom  Laurel,  thirteen  miles  west  of  Hillings,  a  line  is  now  in  course  of  con- 
struction to  Cooke  City,  in  the  famous  Clark's  Fork  mining  district.  'This 
branch  is  being  built  chielly  for  the  transportation  of  the  large  silver  product  of 
that  rich  district,  and  the  very  fine  bituminous  coal  found  in  such  abundance  on 
the  Rocky  Fork  of  the  V^ellowstone.  It  will,  however,  possess  extraordinary 
attractions  for  the  tourist,  traversing,  as  it  will,  some  of  the  most  magnificent 
sc^;nery  in  the  entire  Rocky  Mountain  range,  including  a  cafion  whose  precipi- 
tous walls  have  been  estimated  by  a  recent  visitor,  familiar  with  other  famous 
canons,  to  be  5,000  feet  in  perpendicular  height.  Reference  is  made  to  this 
caTion  in  a  long  and  most  interesting  article  by  Rev.  W.  S.  Rainsford,  I).  I)., 
which  apjieared  in  Si- rii> iter's  Magazine  for  September,  1887,  entitled  "  Cam|)ing 
and  Hunting  in  the  Shoshone."  The  writer  of  this  article  gives  an  exceedingly 
graphic  account  of  various  hunting  adventures  in  this  wild  and  beautiful 
country,  together  with  an  immense  amount  of  information  that  cannot  but  be 
of  the  utmost  value  to  all  lovers  of  the  chase. 

••  Passing  Springdale,  where  the  traveler  will  see  hacks  in  waiting  to 
convey  visitors  to  Hunter's  Hot  Springs  (for  further  information  concerning 
which  the  reader  is  referred  to  an  advertisement  accompanying  the  Railroad 
Company's  time  tables),  the  train  approaches,  amidst  scenery  increasing  in 
grandeur,  the  little  city  of  Livingston,  the  starting  point  for  the  rich  carbonate 
mines  of  Castle  Mountain,  fifty-five  miles  north,  soon  to  be  made  accessible  by 
rail,  and  also  one  of  the  most  important  points  in  the  operation  of  the  railroad, 
but  of  far  greater  note  as  the  gateway  to  the  world-renowned  Yellovv.stone 
National  Park.  Here  we  leave  the  elegant  drawing-room  sleeping  car  anil  the 
luxurious  dining  car  of  the  great  through  train,  to  travel  by  a  connecting 
branch  train  the  few  miles  that  still  separate  us  from  the  actual  boundary  of 
the  Park;  and,  while  the  traveler,  who  knows  not  the  delights  of  what  good  old 
Izaak  Walton  called  the  most  calm,  quiet  ami  innocent  of  all  recreations,  takes 
a  brief  Gtii/il  through  the  town,  followers  of  the  gentle  craft  may  further 
acquaint  themselves  with  those  extraordinary 


>%.¥ 


GEYSERS  AND  FALLS  IN  TH'-  YELLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 


(«) 


'iJi 


\ 


m 


WONDERLAND. 


35 


ATTRACTIONS  FOR  THE  ANGLER 

which  have  rendered  this  locality  so  famous.  They  may  even  have  the  good 
fortune  to  run  across  the  editor  of  the  American  Angler  himself,  who,  too  ardent 
a  craftsman  to  shut  himself  up  in  his  office  on  Broadway,  frequently  visits  these 
and  other  fishing  grounds  along  the  line  of  the  N-irthern  Pacific  Railroad.  The 
country  traversed  by  this  road  he  has  declared  to  be,  "  for  the  angler  and 
sportsman,  a  succession  of  surprises  and  a  string  of  successes,  good  bags  and 
grand  catches  awaiting  him  at  every  stage  of  his  progress  ;"  vvhile  he  has  else- 
where pronounced  a  visit  to  the  Yellowstone  important  to  every  angler  who 
aspires  to  a  well-rounded  life  as  a  rodster.  But,  should  the  angler  visiting  this 
district  for  the  first  time  n  -t  have  the  good  fortune  to  fall  in  with  so  eminent  a 
member  of  the  brotherhood,  he  will  at  least  be  able  to  obtain,  from  thoroughly 
trustworthy  sources,  information  ihat  will  leave  him  in  no  doubt  as  to  the  foun- 
dation on  which  rest  the  possibly  startling  reports  that  have  reached  him  as  to 
the  waters  of  the  Yellowstone  and  its  affluents.  He  wdl  learn  that  the  Yellow- 
stone, west  of  Billings,  contains  tro.:t  of  four  distinct  varieties,  including  the 
celebrated  cut-throat  trout,  to  who.se  *size  and  abundance  Mr.  Harris  himself 
bears  testimony ;  that  the  individual  scores  of  various  tourists,  reported  in  the 
American  Angler  during  1885,  and  not  containing  any  that  were  phenomenally 
large,  averaged  twenty-five  trout  per  hour,  for  each  rod  ;  that  during  the  same 
season  a  visifor  caught  twenty-one  fine,  large  trout  "  after  supper,"  while  '.wo 
others  brought  in  160  as  the  result  of  one  day's  sport;  and  that  during  the 
season  of  1887  a  trout,  seven  and  one-half  pounds  in  weight,  was  caught  in  the 
river  at  the  foot  of  Main  Street.  He  will  hear,  probably,  of  the  two  gentlemen 
who,  having  seen  the  reports  of  fishing  in  these  waters  in  the  American  Angler^ 
stopped  off  for  a  day  on  their  way  to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  were  rewarded  with 
no  !)eautiful  fish  ;  of  the  young  lady  from  Helena  who  caught  a  five  and  one- 
half  pound  trout  close  to  the  city  ;  of  the  two  local  anglers  who  caught  forty 
pounds'  weight  in  an  afternoon,  and  the  two  others  who  captured  134  trout  in 
the  same  length  of  time.  He  will  learn  how  that  in  August  last  two  gentle- 
men from  Wyandotte,  Kan.,  caught  twenty-st  ven  pounds  one  day  and  forcy-six 
pounds  the  next  ;  how  a  visitor  from  Wichita,  accompanied  by  one  from  Jack- 
sonville, 111.,  caught  sixty-one  fine  trout  in  a  day's  fishing  near  Brisbin  ;  and 
that  in  June  of  the  c;ame  year  a  lady  and  two  gentlemen  caught  forty  fine  fish 
in  Spring  Creek,  in  one  afternoon,  one  of  them  weighing  three  pounds,  and 
three  others  two  pounds  each.  All  t'lis,  and  more,  will  our  inquiring  friend  be 
told,  and  he  will  also  learn  of  Rosebud  Lake,  a  beautiful  spot  near  Billings, 
where  the  trout  fishing  is  declared  to  be  "splendid  ;"of  Little  Rosebud  Creek, 
near  Stillwater,  where  eighty-seven  trout  are  reported  to  have  been  caught  in 
four  hours,  with  a  single  rod  ;  of  Prior  Creek,  near  Huntley  ;  Mission  Creek, 
twelve  miles  east  of  Livingston,  and  various  other  resorts  of  local  .".portsmen. 
So  fired,  indeed,  will  be  his  enthusiasm,  that  it  is  more  than  likely  that  when  his 


26 


WONDERLAND. 


traveling  cc.npanions  are  ready  to  continue  their  journey  to  the  National  Park, 
they  will  have  to  bid  hirn  a  temporary  adieu,  and  he  will  be  found  taking  up  his 
quarters  at  that  handsome  new  hotel,  the  Albemarle,  whose  excellent  accommo- 
dations contribute  so  largely  to  the  attractiveness  of  this  little  city  as  a  halting 
place. 

So  far  the  tourist's  inteVest  has  been  excited  chiefly  by  that  marvelous  trans- 
formation which,  in  so  manifestly  short  a  time,  has  been  effected  in  the  appear- 
ance of  a  large  part  of  the  country  ;  by  the  beauty  and' novelty  of  the  prairie, 
whose  illimitable  expanse  is  as  inspiring  to  the  imagination  as  its  atmosphere  is 
physically  exhilarating  ;  and  by  the  Bad  Lands,  which  also  will  have  produced' 
upon  his  mind  an  impression  that  will  never  pass  away.  Now,  however,  he  is 
on  the  confines  of  the  mountain  world,  and  almost  within  sight  of  the  very 
sanctuary  of  its  tutelary  genius.  At  Livingston  he  is  4,488  feet  above  sea-level, 
or  208  feet  higher  than  Mount  Mansfield,  and  684  feet  above  the  highest  point 
of  theCatskills.  Already  several  magnificent  peaks  are  in  full  view,  and  before 
long  he  himself  will  be  a  good  half-mile  of  perpendicular  height  nearer  the 
blue  vault  of  heaven. 

Leaving  the  main  line  for  the 

YELLOWSTONE   NATIONAL    PARK 

branch,  we  have  a  fine  view  of  the  rugged  and  majestic  Crazy  Mountains  to  the 
north.  Elk,  in  large  bands,  still  haunt  that  noble  range,  and  the  American  Field 
of  January  i,  1887,  reported  the  shooting  of  twelve  m  two  days  by  a  local  ranch- 
man. The  same  excellent  journal  recently  contained  an  admirable  series  of 
articles  from  the  pen  of  Lieut.  J.  M.  T.  Partello,  U.  S.  A.,  entitled  "  Army 
Sports  on  th;  P'rontier,"  which  visiting  sportsmen  will  do  well  to  consult. 

A  few  minutes  more  and  we  enter  the  Third,  or  Lower,  Canon  of  the  Yellow- 
stone, from  which  we  presently  emerge  into  a  beautiful  valley,  some  thirty  miles 
long,  with  an  average  width  of  about  ten  miles.  This  ancient  lake-bed — 
for  such  it  is — is  known  as  Paradise  Valley,  and  so  beautiful  is  the  series  of 
pictures  it  presents,  that  the  visitor  can  scarcely  be  persuaded  that  still  more 
magnifioent  scenery  lies  beyond.  The  indications  of  ancient  volcanic  action 
that  here  abound  have  been  commented  upon  both  by  Dr.  V .  V.  Hayden  and 
Dr.  Archibald  Geikie.  The  commanding  mountain  which  overlooks  ihe  valley 
■^n  the  east,  is  Emigrant's  Peak  (10,629  ft.),  with  the  famous  mining  gulch, 
from  which  so  much  wealth  has  been  extracted,  lying  under  its  northern  slope. 
At  Sphinx,  named  from  a  lofty  peak  whose  rugged  summit  bears  some  fancied 
resemblance  to  the  well-known  Egyptian  monument,  .ve  enter  the  Second,  or 
Middle,  Canon,  which  Di.  Hayden  describes  as  possessing  the  most  uniform 
and  beautiful  series  of  terraces  he  has  seen  anywhere  in  the  West,  while  Dr. 
Geikie  refers  to  the  striking  proofs  it  furnishes  of  the  power  and  magnitude  of 
the  old  glaciers,  one  of  which,  he  says,  must  have  completely  filled  the  canon,  and 
flowed  over  into  the  adjoining  valleys,— to  do  ,;hich,  it  must  h;>ve  had  a  depth 


;i 


f 


WONDERLAND. 


27 


of  fully  i,6oo  feet.  The  railroad  terminates  at  Cinnabar,  under  the  shadow  of 
the  mountain  of  that  name,  remarkable  for  its  exijosure  of  vertical  strata,  of 
three  distinct  periods.  Let  not,  however,  the  non-scientific  reader  labor  for  a 
moment  under  the  delusion  that  the  interest  of  this  region  is  purely  geological  ; 
for  not  only  is  the  scenery  wild  in  the  extreme,  but  it  is  of  a  novel  and  striking 
character  No  visitor,  for  example,  can  ever  forget  the  Devil's  Slide,  a  singu- 
lar formation  caused  by  the  washing  out  of  a  vertical  stratum  of  comparatively 
soft  material,  between  one  of  quartzite  and  another  of  porphyry,  which  project- 
ing strata  enclose,   like   walls,    the   almost   perpendicular  "  slide,"  2,000  feet 

high.  .   .         .        ., 

At  Cinnabar  coaches  are  in  waiting  to  convey  us  the  remammg  si\  miles  to 

the  Mammoth  Hot  Springs  Hotel,  the  initial  point  in  the  Grand  Tour  of  the 
Park.  Among  the  many  noble  mountains  which  attract  our  attention  as  we 
proceed  thither  is  Electric  Peak  (11,125  ft),  so  called  from  the  fact  of  Mr 
Henry  Gannett,  a  member  of  Dr.  A.  C.  Peale's  exploring  party  of  July,  1872, 
having  been  enveloped  upon  its  slope  in  an  electric  cloud,  with  consequences 
far  more  amusing  to  his  companions  than  agreeable  to  himself.  The  northern 
boundary  of  the  Park  is  passed  immediately  south  of  the  little  village  of  Gardi- 
ner. Here,  at  last,  we  are  in  that  enchanted  region  which  contains,  within  its 
area  of  3,675  square  miles,  a  larger  assemblage  of  varied  natural  wonders  than 
are  to  be  found  within  a  like  area  anywhere  else  in  the  world  ;  and  which,  with 
well-deserved  confidence  in  the  almost  entirely  unsupported  testimony  and 
recommendations  of  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden,  Congress,  in  1872,  wisely  set  apart  for- 
ever for  the  benefit  and  enjoyment  of  the  people. 

Within  full  view  of  the  great  hotel  which  is  our  first  resting  place  and  vir- 
tual headquarters,  rise  the  wonderful  terraces  formed  by  the  Mammoth  Hot 
Springs,  from  which  the  hotel  takes  its  name.  The  first  view  of  this  remark- 
able formation  is  not  unlike  that  of  the  snout  of  a  glacier,  but  nearer  approach 
reveals  a  marvelous  series  of  regular  terraces,  the  margins  of  which  are  adorned 
with  the  most  delicate  Iretwnrk,  and  the  whole  arrayed  in  exquisitely  soft  shades 
of  color,  surpassing  in  harmony  and  in  subtle  gradations  any  chromatic  effects 
known  to  exist  beyond  the  limits  of  this  enchanted  ground. 

The  keenest  interest  of  the  newly-arrived  tourist,  however,  invariably  centres 
in  those  mysterious  manifestations  of  subterranean  energy,  the  geysers  ;  and  it 
is  therefore  with  the  liveliest  expectations  of  enjoyment  that  he  sets  out,  usually 
on  the  day  following  that  of  his  arrival,  to  visit  the  various  geyser  basins,  the 
Great  Falls,  Grat,d  Canon,  and  other  points  of  interest  in  this  veritable  wonder- 
land. Proceeding  by  the  new  military  road  up  the  Gardiner  River  Cafion, 
through  the  (iolden  Gate  and  Kingman's  Vass,  and  by  the  beautiful  Falls  of  the 
West  Gardiner,  our  typical  tourist,  conifi)rtably  seated  in  a  canvas-covered  car- 
riage, with  an  experienced  driver,  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  various  points 
of  interest  that  follow  each  other  with  such  marvelous  rapidity,  soon  reaches  a 
lofty  plateau,  which  commands  some  exceedingly  beautiful  mountain  scenery, 
including  Electric  Peak,  Cinnabar  Mountain  and  Bunsen's  Peak  to  the  north. 


WINTER  SCENIS  IN  THE  YFLLOWSTONE  NATIONAL  PARK. 


(28) 


WONDERLAND. 


29 


and  three  lofty  peaks,  all  upward  of  10,000  feet  high,  to  the  west.  This  is 
presently  followed  by  the  famous  Obsidian  Cliffs,  a  mountain  of  volcanic  glass. 
This  remarkable  formation — entirely  new  to  nineteen  out  of  every  twenty  visit- 
ors— bears  a  close  resemblance  to  jet ;  although  at  places  it  is  mottled  and 
streaked  with  red,  as  well  as  with  various  shades  of  brown  and  olive  green. 
The  road  ovei  which  we  travel  is,  for  some  distance,  nothing  less  than  a  glass 
highway,  probably  the  only  one  in  the  world.  Its  construction  was  accom- 
plished by  building  great  fires  upon  the  largest  detached  blocks,  which  were 
suddenly  cooled  and,  at  the  same  time,  shivered  into  fragments  by  the  dashing 
of  cold  water  upon  them. 

The  first  of  the  distinctly  marked  areas  in  which  the  geysers  are  found  is  the 
Norris  Basin.  This  has  the  highest  elevation,  7,527  feet,  and  is,  doubtless,  the 
oldest,  of  them  all.  It  is  very  extensive,  and  among  its  many  objects  of  interest 
are  the  Monarch  and  Hurricane  Geysers,  the  latter,  a  recent  out-burst,  being  one 
of  the  most  gigantic  displays  of  subterranean  energy  to  be  seen  in  the  Park.  ■ 

Three  miles  south  of  Norris  Geyser  Basin  is  Elk  Park,  a  favorite  haunt  of 
the  noble  game  whose  name  it  bears,  ''^apt.  Harris,  U.  S.  A.,  and  Mr.  F.  Jay 
Haynes,  Official  Photographer  to  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  have 
both  borne  recent  testimony  to  the  immense  herds  of  elk  that  take  refuge  in  the 
Park  during  the  winter.  An  interesting  letter  upon  the  subject,  from  the  pen 
of  Capt.  Harris,  appeared  in  the  American  Field  oi  January  8,  1887. 

Continuing  his  journey,  the  tourist  will  come  to  the  Gibbon  Paint  Pot  Basin, 
with  its  500  springs  of  boiling  mud,  of  every  conceivable  color  and  shade  of 
color  ;  and  the  Gibbon  Canon  and  Falls,  the  latter  a  beautiful  cascade,  160  feet 
in  height.  A  few  miles  more,  and  he  will  be  looking  out  upon  the  wonders  of 
the  Lower  Geyser  Basin,  known  locally  by  the  appropriate  name  of  Firehole. 
This  basin  covers  between  thirty  and  forty  square  miles,  and  contains  no  fewer 
than  693  boiling  springs,  exclusive  of  seventeen  that  are  of  sufficient  impor- 
tance to  rank  as  geysers.  From  Firehole  the  tourist  is  conducted  to  the  Mid- 
way Geyser  Basin,  or  Hell's  Half  Acre,  containing  the  famous  Excelsior  Gey- 
ser, the  largest  in  the  world.  The  eruptions  of  this  geyser  are  very  irregular, 
but  the  roar  that  proceeds  from  its  crater  and  the  dense  volume  of  steam  that 
almost  hides  it  from  view,  sufficiently  attest  its  terrible  power,  and  abundcintiy 
justify  the  name  by  which  it  is  best  known.  The  terror  of  this  scene  is  but 
partially  redeemed  by  the  immediate  proximity  of  the  Grand  Prismatic  Spring, 
whose  margin  is  adorned  with  the  most  wonderful  display  of  brilliant  coloring 
of  all  the  10,000  springs  of  this  extraordinary  region  ;  and  it  is  with  a  feeling 
of  relief  that  the  visitor  makes  his  way  over  the  foot-bridge,  re-enters  his  car- 
riage, and  is  driven  toward  the  Upper  Geyser  Basin. 

This  contains  the  largest  assemblage  of  powerful  geysers  in  the  world.  In 
addition  to  414  boiling  springs,  that  elsewhere  would  be  sufficient  to  constitute 
a  wonderland  by  themselves,  there  are  twenty-six  geysers  of  great  magnitude 
and  power.  Among  them  are  the  best  known  of  ail  the  geysers  of  the  Park, — 
those  with  whose  names  the  world  has  been  tr^de  familiar  by  the  pen  and  brush 


80 


WONDERLAND. 


'  I 
i 


^^'■^■ii 


i  I 


i* 


I 


of  author  and  artist.  Here  are  found  the  Giant  and  Giantess,  the  Castle  and 
the  Grotto,  the  Beehive,  the  Splendid  and  the  Grand,  all  discharging,  at  vary- 
ing intervals,  but  with  singular  constancy,  columns  of  water  reaching  not 
unfrequently  a  height  of  250  feet.  Here,  too,  is  Old  Faithful,  whose  hourly  erup- 
tion affords  even  the  most  hurried  visitor  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  at  least 
one  display  of  its  tremendous  power. 

After  a  little  time  spent  in  this  basin,  the  visitor  is  almost  certain  to  con- 
clude that  he  has  at  length  reached  the  climax  of  the  wonders  of  the  Park ; 
and  the  present  writer  has  himself  found  it  impossible  to  persuade  tourists  with 
whom  he  has  been  brought  into  contact  that  there  still  lay  before  them  a  scene 
which,  though  it  might  not  entirely  obliterate  the  impression  made  upon  them 
by  the  geysers  and  other  extraordinary  objects,  they  would  certainly  declare  to 
be  the  crowning  glory  of  the  Park. 

The  reader,  who,  not  having  visited  the  National  Park,  has  yet  gazed  into 
some  of  the  profound  gorges  to  be  found  in  the  great  mountain  ranges  of  the 
far  West,  will  read  with  astonishment,  if  not  wi  h  incredulity,  that  the  Grand 
Canon  of  the  Yellowstone,  though  inferior  in  actual  dimensions  to  the  Yosem- 
ite  Valley  and  the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Colorado,  infinitely  surpasses  them  in 
sublimity,  being  made  to  stand  pre-eminent  among  the  natural  wonders  of  the 
world,  by  the  majesty  of  its  cataract  and  the  gorgeous  blazonry  of  its  walls. 

To  say  that  its  cataract — no  mere  silver  ribbon  of  spray,  but  a  fall  of  great 
volume — is  a  little  more  than  twice  the  height  of  Niagara,  would,  by  means  of 
a  familiar  comparison,  enable  almost  any  one  to  form  a  not  altogether  inade- 
quate conception  of  its  grandeur.  But  for  the  matchless  adornment  of  its  walls, 
we  have  no  available  comparison  ;  naught  but  itself  can  be  its  parallel.  One 
recent  visitor  describes  it  as  being  hung  with  rainbows,  like  glorious  banners. 
Another,  borrowing  from  Mr.  Ruskin,  likens  it  to  a  great  cathedral,  with  painted 
windows,  and  full  of  treasures  of  illuminated  manuscript.  But,  as  we  take  our 
stand  on  the  brink  of  the  Falls,  with  twelve  miles  of  sculptured  rock  spread  out 
before  us,  rising  from  1,500  to  2,000  feet  in  height,  and  all  aflame  with  glowing 
color,  •\>  have  to  acknowledge,  with  a  distinguished  writer  and  a  no  less  cele- 
hratt  cist,  that,  neither  by  the  most  cunningly  wrought  fabric  of  language  nor 
the  mt  'cillful  jnanipulation  of  color,  is  it  possible  to  create  in  the  mind  a  con- 
ception answering  to  this  sublime  reality.  For  countless  ages,  frost  and  snow, 
heat  and- vapor,  lightning  and  rain,  torrent  and  glacier,  have  wrought  upon  that 
mysterious  rock,  evolving  from  its  iron,  its  sulphur,  its  arsenic,  its  lava  and  its 
lime,  the  glorious  apparel  in  which  it  stands  arrayed.  And  the  wondrous  fabrica- 
tion is  still  going  on.  The  bewildered  traveler  would  scarcely  be  surprised  to  see 
the  gorgeous  spectacle  fade  from  his  vision  like  a  dream  ;  but  its  texture  is  con- 
tinually l)eing  renewed:  the  giant  forces  are  ever  at  work;  still,  like  the  earth- 
spirit  in  Faust,  still  do  they — 

"  Sit  at  tlin  busy  loom  of  timn  nnd  ply, 
Weaving  for  God  lUc  garment  th  u  ecest  llim  by." 


1 


WONDERLAND. 


81 


It  is  expected  that  the  great  Yellowstone  Lake  will  shortly  be  embraced 
within  the  Grand  Tour.  This  magnificent  sheet  of  water— at  so  great  an 
elevation  that  could  Mount  Washington,  the  highest  peak  in  the  New  England 
States,  be  submerged  in  it,  with  its  base  at  the  sea-level,  its  summit  would  be 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  surface— is  fully  described  in  the 
Official  Guide  to  the  ^Yellowstone  National  Park,  published  by  Riley  Brothers,  of 
St.  Paul,  and  sold  on  the  trains  at  50c  paper,  and  $1.00  cloth.  To  that  work  the 
reader  is  also  referred  for  a  description  of  the  trip  over  Mount  Washburn,  as 
well  as  of  various  points  of  interest,  that  cannot  even  be  enumerated  in 
these  pages.  He  will  also  find  much  interesting  and  valuable  information  rela- 
tive to  the  Park  in  the  Reports  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  for  187 1, 
1872,  1878  and  1887.  The  "Geological  Sketches  "  of  Dr.  Archibald  Geikie,  F, 
R.  S.,  Director-General  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  the  United  Kingdom,  like- 
wise contains  a  chapter  devoted  to  the  geology  and  natural  wonders  of  the 
Park,  and,  having  been  reprinted  in  pamphlet  form  by  J.  Fitzgerald,  of  New 
York,  as  No.  39  of  the  Humboldt  Library,  it  is  easily  procurable,  besides  having 
the  merit  of  being  concise  in  statement  and  convenient  in  size.  It  must,  how- 
ever, be  borne  in  mind  that  Dr.  Geikie's  visit  to  the  Park  was  made  before  the 
completion  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad. 

Although  the  physical  conditions  obtaining  in  the  National  Park  in  mid- 
winter are  such  as  to  render  it  exceedingly  dangerous,  if  not  absolutely  impos- 
sible, for  any  ordinary  traveler  to  penetrate  beyond  the  Mammoth  Hot  Springs 
at  that  season  of  the  year,  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  make  mention  here  of 
the  extraordinary  feat  performed   in  January,  1887,  by  Mr.  F.  Jay  Haynes, 
already  mentioned  in  these  pages  as  the  Official  Photographer  to  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad  Company.     That  gentleman  was  a  member  of  the  Schwatka 
party,  whose  departure  on  a  snow-shoe  expedition  through  the  Park  was  so 
loudly  trumpeted  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  but   whose 
inglorious    collapse,  the   second   day   out,  gained   no   such  general   publicity. 
Being  familiar  wi'h  the  topography  of  the  country,  and  having  long  cherished  a 
desire  to  see  its  wonders  in  their  winter  garb,  as  well  as  to  have  an  opportunity 
of  reproducing  them  with  that  fidelity  to  nature  for  which  his  work  is  so  well 
known,  Mr.  Haypes  determined  not  to  be  foiled  in  his  purpose  by  the  inability 
of  his  leader  and  the  unwillingness  of  other  members  of  the  party  to  leave  the 
Norris  Geyser  Basin  ;  and  so,  accompanied  only  by  two  packers,  wearing,  like 
himself,  the  eight-feet-long  snow-shoes  known  in  Northern  Europe  as  "skier," 
he  continued  his  journey,  and  made  the  entire  circuit  of  the  Park,  and,  although 
overtaken  on  Mount  Washburn  by  a  terrific  blizzard,  and   without  food,  fire  or 
shelter  for  nearly  three  days,  with  the  temperature  40°   below  zero,  succeeded 
in  getting  back. to  civilization  without  having  to  sacrifice  the  wonderfully  beau- 
tiful  series   of  views   he  had  secured,   illustrative  of  the  remarkable  effects 
brought  about  by  that  extraordinary  conflict  of  heat  and  cold  wlflch  he  had  had 
the  good  fortune  to  witness. 


(32) 


WONDERLAND. 


88 


.  It  now  only  remains  to  be  added  that  the  roads  in  the  Park  have  been  con- 
structed by  military  engineers,  and  are  kept  in  excellent  condition  ;  that  com- 
fortable hotel  accommodations  are  provided  at  the  principal  points  of  interest  ; 
and  that  the  hotel  rates  and  transportation  charges  are  all  regulated  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

It  may  be  well,  however,  to  remind  the  angler,  in  conclusion,  that  this  is  the 
far-famed  region  where  the  juxtaposition  of  streams  of  hot  ami  cold  water 
enables  him  to  cook  his  fish  as  fast  as  he  can  catch  them,  without  changing  his 
position  or  removing  them  from  t.he  hook. 

WESTWARD    STILL. 


C5 

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Resuming  his  westward  journey  at  Livingston,  the  traveler  may  notice, 
four  miles  west  of  that  point,  a  branch,  three  and  f)ne-half  miles  long, 
running  out  to  Cukedale,  where  some  thirty  tons  of  the  finest  coke  are 
being  produced  daily,  from  coal  mined  on  the  spot.  His  attention  is,  how- 
ever, much  more  likely  to  be  occupied  with  the  approaching  ascent  of  the 
first  of  those  great  mountain  barriers  which  had  to  be  surmounted  by  the 
engineers  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad.  This  is  the  Belt  Range,  which  is 
crossed  twelve  miles  from  Livingston,  at  the  comparatively  low  elevation  of 
5,565  feet.  Considerable  mountain  climbing  has  been  avoided  l)y  the  c(jnstruc- 
tion  of  a  tunnel,  3,610  feet  in  length,  from  the  western  portal  of  which  the  line 
emerges  into  a  fine  rocky  cailon.  Passing  the  recently  abandoned  military  post 
of  Fort  Ellis,  we  come  to  Bozeman,  a  beautifully  situated  and  flourishing  little 
city,  twenty  years  old.  Few  cities  can  boast  of  more  picturesque  surroundings 
than  this  interesting  old  town,  in  the  rich  and  fertile  Gallatin  Valley,  there 
being  no  direction  in  which  the  range  of  vision  is  not  bounded  by  majestic 
ranges  of  mountains,  seamed  with  eternal  snow.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  to 
get  forty  bushels  of  hard  spring  wheat,  sixty  bushels  of  fall  wheat,  or  one 
hundred  bushels  of  oats  to  the  acre  in  this  valley,  eleven  degrees  and  more 
west  of  the  meridian  which  was  so  long  supposed  to  be  the  western  limit  of 
cultivable  land  in  the  basin  of  the  Mississippi.  Barley  also  is  raised  here  in 
large  quantities,  and  of  such  superior  excellence  as  to  be  in  great  demand  for 
malting  purposes  at  Milwaukee  and  other  eastern  cities.  At  the  lower  end  of 
the  valley  are  the  promising  little  settlements  of  Gallatin  and  Three  Forks,  com- 
manding the  valleys  of  the  Madison  and  Jefferson  Rivers,  the  agricultural  lands 
of  which,  now  being  brought  under  cultivation,  are  not  inferior  to  those  of  the 
longer  settled  valley  of  the  Gallatin. 

Four  miles  more,  and  the  tourist  comes  upon  a  point  of  'considerable  geograph- 
ical interest,  the  three  mountain  streams  just  mentioned  pouring  their  waters  into 
a  common  channel  to  form  the  Missouri  River.  It  is  through  a  rocky  cailon, 
abounding  in  wild  and  magnificent  scenery  and  containing  many  interesting 
geological  exposures,  that  the  greatest  river  of  the  continent  enters  upon  its  long 
course  of  4,450  miles.      For  nearly  fifty  miles  the  line  follows  its  various  wind- 


84 


WONDERLAND. 


ings,  until  finally  the  river  runs  away  northward,  through  tiiat  profound  chasm 
known  as  the  Grand  Canonof  the  Missouri,  or  the  Gates  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Two  new  jjranch  lines,  to  leave  the  main  line  at  the  lower  cud  of  the  Gallatin 
.Valley,  are  projccteil  for  the  year  1889.  One  of  them,  diverging  at  a  point 
23  miles  west  of  IJozeman,  will  run  to  Boulder,  a  distance  of  42  miles,  where 
it  will  connect  with  a  line  now  in  course  of  construction  from  that  t(jwn  to 
Butte.  This  will  bring  lUittc,  the  greatest  mining  city  on  the  continent,  within 
easy  reach  of  the  agricultural  district  of  IJozeman,  and  93  miles  nearer  St.  Paul, 
Chicago  and  other  eastern  cities  than  it  now.  is.  The  other  projected  branch 
will  run  from  a  i)oint  near  Gallatin  westward  tu  Red  Iiluft,  a  distance  of  twenty 
miles.     This  branch  will  open  up  a  region  promising  rich  developments. 

MORE  ABOUT  ANGLING. 

We  are  now  in  a  district  whose  attractions  for  the  angler  are  of  such 
an  order  as  to  call  for  more  than  passmg  notice.  In  an  interesting  article, 
extending  through  several  numbers  of  the  American  Angler,  the  editor  of 
that  journal  relates  his  experience  in  this  locality,  in  the  course  of  which 
he  describes  the  Gallatin  as  the  fish  river  of  his  dreams,  the  grayling,  the 
Rocky  Mountain  trout  and  the  whitefish  "veritably  swarming  in  its  waters." 
In  another  place  he  declares  the  Gallatiji  to  be  "  the  pearl  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  waters,"  while  another  correspondent  of  the  same  journal,  who  states 
that  he  has  fished  in  twenty  different  States  and  Territories,  declares  that  he 
"never  saw  a  place  where  you  could  catch  half  as  many  as  at  Three  Forks." 
Anglers,  by  the  way,  are  recommended  by  local  sportsmen  to  take  guns  with 
them,  geese,  ducks  and  snipe  being  abundant.  Some  excellent  scores  are 
reported  from  Bozeman,  whicli  has  a  dozen  streams,  teeming  with  mountain 
trout  and  grayling,  within  as  many  miles  of  the  city.  Among  recent  reports 
are  those  of  two  gentlemen  who,  in  July,  1887,  caught,  between  them,  103 
trout  in  three  hours  ;  and  a  party  who,  in  the  following  month,  made  a  score 
that  averaged  six  trout  per  hour  for  each  man.  Grouse,  pheasant  and  prairie 
chicken  are  plentiful  around  Bozeman,  and  it  is  also  the  outfitting  point  for 
Henry's  Lake,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water  on  the  summi*'  of  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains, near  the  Idaho  arid  Montana  boundary. 

Sixty-five  miles  west  of  Bozeman  is  Tovvnocnd,  the  principal  shipping  and 
distributing  point  for  no  inconsiderable  portion  of  one  of  the  best  counties  in 
Montana.  This  is  Meagher  County,  named  in  honor  of  that  brilliant  soldier 
of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  Gen.  Thomas  Francis  Meagher,  who  met  with 
his  death,  under  somewhat  mysterious  circumstances,  at  Fort  Benton,  in  this 
Territory,  of  which  he  was  at  the  time — July,  1867 — Secretary  and  acting 
Governor.  Townsend  has  daily  communication  by  coach  with  White  Sulphur 
Springs,  a  substantially  built  town  lying  in  a  beautiful  valley  5,070  feet  above 
sea-level,  and  surrounded  by  the  grandest  of  Rocky  Mountain  scenery.  This 
town,  which  is  the  judicial  seat  of  the  county,  has  excellent  accommodations 
for  all  classes  of  visitors,   including  one  of  the  best  hotels  .n  the  Territory. 


WONDER  LA  ND. 


86 


Medicinal  properties  of  wonderful  efficacy  are  claimed  for  the  waters  of  a 
spring  in  its  vicinity,  further  information  regarding  which  will  be  found  in  the 
Railroad  Company's  time  tables. 

Besides  the  Missouri  River,  which,  at  Townsend,  is  a  beautiful,  clear  stream, 
there  are  three  creeks,  abounding  with  trout  and  whitefish,  in  close  proximity 
to  that  town.  In  July,  1887,  two  gentlemen  caught  83  lish  in  one  of  them  in 
two  hours  ;  the  foljowing  month,  two  others  caught  42  grayling,  weighing  39 
pounds,  in  three  hours  ;  while  two  others  again  caught  82,  weighing  74  pounds, 
and  that  as  the  result  of  one  day's  sport.  In  the  same  month,  a  single  angler 
caught  1 10  trout  and  whitefish  in  three  hours,  in  the  Missouri  River.  Ducks 
and  prairie  chickens  are  equally  abundant. 

With  the  exception  of  Bozeman,  of  which  but  little  is  to  be  seen  from  the 
railroad,  not  a  single  town,  city  or  settlement  of  any  kind,  which  the  traveler 
has  passed  since  leaving  St.  Paul  or  Duluth,  from  the  great  city  of  Minneapolis 
to  the  smallest  prairie  settlement,  but  has  had  almost  its  entire  growth  since  the 
advent  of  the  railroad.  Now,  however,  he  is  approaching  a  city  which  was  one 
of  commanding  position  and  great  commercial  importance  even  when  hundreds 
of  miles  of  mountain  and  prairie  separated  it  from  the  nearest  railroad.  This 
is  Helena,  the  capital  of  the  Territory,  and  the 

QUEEN    CITY    OF    THE    MOUNTAINS. 


It  was  on  the  afternoon  of  the  15th  of  July,  1864,  that  four  weary  and 
heartsick  miners  pitched  their  tents  in  that  desolate-looking  gulch  where  now 
stands  this  flourishing  city.  Disappointed  at  not  beioa  able  to  secure  claims  in 
the  then  prosperous  camp  of  Virginia  City,  and  reduced  to  great  extremity, 
they  regarded  the  little  gulch  on  the  Prickly  Pear  as  their  "last  chance." 
Finding  gold  in  paying  quantities,  they  resolved  to  settle  down,  and  it  is  said 
that  within  two  years  each  of  them  was  worth  $50,000.  In  the  meantime  the 
little  camp,  in  what  was  thenceforward  known  as  "  Last  Chance  Gulch,"  had 
attracted  miners  from  all  parts  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  is  stated  in  a  recent 
official  publication  of  the  Territory  that  the  gulch  yielded  $30,000,000  during 
the  first  three  seasons  it  was  worked  ;  but  these  figures  so  far  exceed  the  popu- 
lar estimate  that  they  are  repeated  only  under  reserve. 

For  many  years  this  important  mining  centre  was  dependent  upon  the  Mis- 
souri River  for  its  commercial  intercourse  with  the  world,  and  was  thus  in  a 
state  of  well-nigh  complete  isolation  during  the  greater  part  of  every  year. 
Important,  however,  as  the  city  became,  the  visitor  will  not  need  to  be  told  that 
it  is  since  the  opening  of  the  railroad  that  those  substantial-looking  business 
blocks  and  truly  magnificent  residences,  at  which  he  will  never  cease  to  wonder 
from  his  first  setting  foot  in  the  city  until  leaving  it,  have  arisen.  Helena  now 
claims  to  be  the  wealthiest  city  of  its  size  in  the  United  States.  Of  its  four 
National  Banks,  one  alone  has  the  custody  of  individual  deposits  exceeding 
$3,000,000. 


\l 


36 


WONDERLAND. 


The  romance  of  mining  is  well  illustrated  by  the  story  of  the  citizen  of 
Helena,  who  was  tiigging  out  a  cellar  to  his  house,  wiieii  a  passing  stranger 
asked  permission  to  remove  the  pile  of  earth  tJKit  was  being  heaped  up  in  the 
roadway,  promising  to  return  with  one-half  of  whatever  dust  he  might  obtain  by 
the  washing  to  which  he  proposed  to  submit  it.  Permission  granted  and  the 
earth  removed,  the  citizen  thought  no  more  (jf  the  matter.  (Ireat,  therefore, 
was  his  astonisiiment  when,  a  few  days  later,  the  half-forgotten  face  of  the 
stranger  a[)pcare(l  at  the  door,  and  he  was  handed,  as  his  share  of  the  yield 
of  that  unpromising  dirt,  the  equivalent  of  §650. 

Possibly,  however,  a  story  involving  only  a  paltry  sum  of  three  figures,  may 
not  answer  to  the  reader's  conception  of  the  romantic.  It  does  not  excite  *his 
imagination.  He  expects  to  read  of  mil!ion.s.  If  so,  let  us  turn  to  the  story  of 
the  miner,  who,  confident  that  he  was  tlie  possessor  of  a  valuable  claim,  held  on 
to  it,  in  spite  of  the  most  adverse  circumstances,  hiring  himself  out  in  winter 
that  he  mig'it  have  a  little  money  wherewith  to  work  upon  his  claim  in  summer, 
until,  at  last,  after  eight  years  of  indomitable  perseverance  and  patient  toil,  he 
was  able  to  sell  his  property  for  $2,250,000  ;  or  that  of  the  weary  and  penniless 
wanderer,  who,  having  tramped  all  the  way  from  Nevada,  began  a  toilsome 
search,  to  be  continued  through  much  suffering  and  privation  for  several  years, 
but  destined  to  be  rewarded  at  last  by  the  discovery  of  one  of  the  richest  veins 
of  gold  \\\  the  Territory,  a  vein  that  has  yielded,  up  to  the  present  time,  1^4,000,- 
000  worth  of  gold. 

Among  facts  not  more  startling  than  hundreds  of  ethers  that  nught  be 
quoted,  it  is  related  that  a  four-mule  team  once  havileil  (rr  n  Helena  to  Fort 
Benton,  for  transportati^  down  the  Missouri  River.  I'vn  and  one-half  tons  of 
gold,  valued  at  $1,500,000  ;  that  in  the  early  days  potatoes  were  worth  fifty 
cents  per  pound,  and  flour  $1.00,  and  that  oranges  were  sold  at  $1.00  each,  and 
small  pine-apples  at  $7.00.  In  those  days  many  individual  claims  yielded 
$1,000  a  day,  and  the  condition  of  society  was  very  much  the  same  as  that 
which  existed  in  California  during  the  corresponding  i)eriod  of  its  history,  and 
was  similarly  brought  to  an  end,  only  by  the  stern  measures  of  the  vigilantes. 

The  most  valuable  gold  nugget  ever  found  in  Montana  is  said  to  have  been 
worth  about  $3,200.  There  is  a  nugget  in  the  vault  of  the  First  National  Bank 
at  Helena,  weighing  47.7  ounces,  and  valued  at  $945.80.  But  the  most  inter- 
esting sight  in  the  city  is,  undoubtedly,  the  process  of  assaying  at  the  United 
States  Assay  Office,  where  may  also  be  seen  those  marvelously  adjusted  and 
delicately  graduated  scales,  by  which  the  weight  of  even  an  eye-lash  can 
be  exactly  determined. 

There  are  several  interesting  excursions  that  can  conveniently  be  made  from 
this  city.  The  first  is  to  the  Grand  Canon  of  the  Missouri,  known  as  the  Gates 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  ;  which  name  was  bestowed  upon  it  by  Lewis  and 
Clark,  in  1805.  A  delightful  drive  across  the  prairie,  with  the  main  range  of 
the  Rockies  and  much  other  fine  scenery  in  full  view,  brings  the  visitor  to 
Hilger's  Landing,  from  which  point  a  steamer  makes  regular  trips  through  the 


WONDERLAND. 


87 


Grand  Cafion  to  Picnic  Cafion,  Willow  Creek  and  Bear  Tooth  Rapids.  The 
cliffs  for  the  nio:t  part  are  vertical,  and  from  500  to  1,500  feet  hiyli,  rising  Uo\w 
the  water's  edge.  Nea-  the  lower  end  of  the  ration  is  the  sharp  peak  called  by 
the  Indians  the  Bear's  Tooth,  rising  abruptly  from  the  river  to  a  height  of 
2,500  feet.  The  hours  of  sailing,  rates  of  fare,  etc.,  are  usually  to  be  fouml 
in  the  advertising  columns  of  the  Helena  papers. 

Another  interesting  e.vcursion  is  that  to  Marysville,  the  terminus  of  a  branch 
twenty  miles  long,  le;'.ving  the  main  line  at  C'lough  Junction,  nine  miles 
west  of  Helena,  and  known  as  the  Helena  iS:  Northern.  'I"his  line,  which 
scales  for  ten  miles  a  steep  mountain  side,  is  a  wonderful  piece  of  railroad  engi- 
neering, and  scc.r:,ely  less  interesting  to  the  traveler  tiian  the  famous  mines  to 
whicli  it  leads.  Of  these,  the  most  famous  is  the  Drum  Lumon,  perhaps  the 
greatest  silver-gold  mine  in  the  world,  shipping  an  average  of  nearly  $150,000 
worth  of  bullion  per  month,  of  which  fully  one-half  may  be  set  down  as  profit. 
Visitors  to  the  New  Orleans  Expositions  of  1884  and  1885  will  remember  the 
magnificent  exhibits  from  this  mine,  which  included  one  solid  chunk  of  high- 
grade  ore,  weighing  1,715  pounds.  There  are  three  other  valuable  mining 
properties  near  the  present  terminus  of  this  branch,  including  the  (lloster,  which, 
crushing  about  4,500  tons  of  gold  and  silver  quartz  monthly,  has  produced  since 
18S1  upward  of  $4,500,000.  This  important  line  will  probably  be  extended 
during  the  sunnner  of  1889  to  Empire,  a  further  distance  of  eight  miles,  wliere 
it  will  reach  several  other  exceedingly  rich  mines. 

A  day  may  also,  with  advantage,  be  devoted  to  Wickes,  to  which  point  a 
branch  twenty  miles  long  has  been  constructed  from  Prickly  Pear  Junction,  a 
station  on  the  main  line,  five  miles  east  of  Helena.  This  village  in  the  mount- 
ains is  famous  for  its  reduction  works,  which  are  among  the  largest  i'^  the  country, 
From  the  old  town  of  Jefferson,  on  the  Wickes  branch,  the  line  has  been  extended 
to  Boulder  and  Calvin.  "I'his  extension  the  year  1889  will  probably  see  con- 
tinued fifteen  miles  further,  to  Butte,  reducing  the  distance  between  the  two 
principal  towns  of  the  Territory  twenty-six  miles.  Froni  Boulder  a  branch  will 
probably  be  built  at  an  early  date  to  Dlkhorn,  an  important  mining  camp  in  the 
Boulder  Valley  region. 

Another  branch  has  recently  been  completed  to  Rimini,  seventeen  miles 
distant.  Here  is  the  famous  Red  Mountain  Mine,  containing  a  ten-foot  bed  of 
high-grade  ore,  assaying  onan  average  $170  per  ton.  Among  other  nu' able 
mining  properties  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountains  are  the  Whitelach 
Union,  long  the  most  celebrated  gold  mine  in  the  Territory,  and  the  Lexington, 
which  has  produced  silver  ore  averaging  in  assay  value  frohi  $15,000  to  $20,- 
000  per  ton.  This  is  by  no  means  a  complete  list  of  the  great  mining  proper- 
ties tributary  to  Helena,  and  the  mention  of  the  foregoing  might  seem  invidious 
were  it  not  stated  that  they  furnish  the  most  accessible  data  for  illustrating, 
with  all  possible  brevity,  the  importance  of  individual  mining  enterprises  in 
this  great  Territory. 


38  WONDERLAND. 

The  next  stage  of  the  traveler's  overland  journey  lies  across  the 

MAIN  RANGE  OF  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS. 

An  eminent  geologist,  whose  name  has  already  been  twice  mentioned  in 
these  pages,  and  who  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains  by  the  railway  that  was  the 
first  to  be  carried  over  the  continental  divide,  some  years  before  the  completion 
of  the  Northern  Pacific,  declares,  in  his  well-known  "  Geological  Sketches,"  that 
it  was  with  a  feeling  of  disappointment,  almost  of  incredulity,  that  he  looked 
out  upon  the  scene  on  either  side  of  the  railroad  track,  as  the  train  approached 
Ihe  summit  of  the  route.  Instead  of  the  peaksand  crests  he  expected  to  see, 
there  was  "only  a  long,  smooth,  prairie-like  slope,"  which  no  traveler  would  ever 
have  supposed  was  the  summit  of  the  famous  Rocky  Mountains,  had  not  the 
railway  company,  as  Dr.  Geikie  puts  it,  "  with  a  laudable  desire  for  the  diffusion 
of  correct  geographical  knowledge,"  had  a  board  erected  with  an  inscription 
to  that  effect. 

Although  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  crosses  the  main  range  of  the 
mountains  at  an  elevation  2,693  ^^^t  lower  than  that  of  the  line  over  which 
Dr.  Geikie  traveled,  the  traveler  by  the  former  is  all  the  while  looking  out  upon 
scenery  of  that  peculiarly  rugged  character  which  has  earned  for  the  great 
mountain  chain  of  the  continent  the  distinctive  name  it  bears.  T'oot  by  foot  the 
train  climbs  the  mountain  side,  overcoming,  one  after  another,  the  various 
gigantic  barriers  that  seem  to  foibid  its  further  progress.  Under  the  shadow 
of  great  rocks,  towering  above  the  tall  pines  at  their  feet  like  the  ruins  of  .:'^'  ic 
ancient  stronghold,  along  rocky  shelves,  through  deep  cuttings,  and  across 
innumerable  ravines,  it  pursues  its  tortuous  course,  doubling  upon  itself  so 
sharply  that  it  might  almost  be  said  to  be  going  in  two  opposite  directions  at 
the  same  time.  Finally,  at  an  elevation  of  5,547  feet,  if.  enters  the  Mullan  Tun- 
nel, '3,850  feet  in  length,  from  the  western  portal  of  which  it  emerges  on  to  the 
Pacific  Slope. 

Following  the  valley  of  the  Little  Blackfoot,  between  grassy  hills  that  present 
a  singular  contrast  to  the  grandeur  that  distinguishes  the  eastern  approach  to 
the  mountains,  the  train  presently  arrives  at  Garrison,  from  which  point  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad  has  running  powers  into  the  city  of  Butte,  over  a  joint 
line  operated  under  the  name  of  the  Montana  Union. 

No  traveler  should  fail  to  embrace  the  opportunity  for  visiting  the 

GREATEST   MINING  CITY  ON   THE   AMERICAN   CONTINENT, 

if  not  indeed  in  the  world,  afforded  him  by  the  fact  of  his  being  at  this  point 
within  a  couple  of  hours'  ride  of  it.  The  trip  need  not  seriously  delay  him, 
and  the  route,  lying,  as  it  does,  through  the  beautiful  Deer  Lodge  Valley,  with 
the  attractive  little  city  of  Deer  Lodge  in  the  midst  of  it,  the  journey  would  well 
repay  him  for  the  time  bestowed  upon  it,  eve.-  were  there  no  Butte  City  at  the 
ead  of  it. 


WONDERLAND 


39 


•  It  is  at  the  head  of  this  valley,  on  the  western  slope  of  the  main  range  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  that  Butte  pours  forth  the  smoke  of  its  innumerable  furnaces  ; 
for  not  only,  be  it  rememberedj  is  its  production  of  silver  so  great  that  it  has 
come  to  be  known  as  the  "Silver  Citj',"  but  its  copper  mines  are  such  as  to 
give  employment  to  the  most  extensive  smelting  works  in  the  United  States. 
We  have  only  to  go  back  to  the  last  United  States  census  to  find  Butte  merely 
apromising  mining  village,  with  a  population  of  3,363.  To-day,  however,  it 
claims  six  times  that  number, — not,  moreover,  of  ragged  adventurers,  attracted 
to  it  by  the  prospect  of  getting  rich  by  luck,  liut  of  men  whose  good,  hard, 
systematized  labor  earns  them  in  the  aggregate  a  round  half-million  dollars  per 
month  in  wages;  of  wealthy  merchants,  of  substantial  tradesmen,  and  the  various 
other  classes  necessary  to  the  making  up  of  a  typical  Western  city. 

As  the  city  has  long  passed  the  stage  at  which  the  visitor  might  safely  be 
left  to  f:nd  out  its  chief  objects  of  interest  for  himself,  it  may  be  well  to  inform 
him  that  it  possesses,  among  other  handsome  buildings,  a  $150,000  Court 
House,  and  one  of  the  finest  Opera  Houses  on  the  Pacific  Slope.  The  various 
costly  gooas  with  which  its  magnificent  stores  are  stocked  will  undoubtedly  be 
a  revelation  to  him,  and  will  show  him  that  nothing  is  too  good  for  the  people 
of  this  flourishing  city. 

The  leading  silver  mines  of  the  district  are  the  Alice,  Blue  Bird,  Lexington, 
Moulton,  Silver  Bow  and  De.xter,  which  alone  employ  285  stamps,  and  prodi^ce 
over  300  tons  of  ore  daily.  The  magnificent  appliances  of  the  Alice  mine, 
including  the  great  Cornish  pump,  that  cost  $40,000,  are  the  wonder  of  every 
visitor.  The  process  o*:  reduction,  here,  as  elsewhere,  is  somewhat  complex, 
especially  in  the  case  of  the  baser  ores,  being  in  part  chemical  and  in  part 
mechanical.  It  involves  the  crushing  of  the  ore  to  powder,  under  the  pressure 
of  enormous  bars  of  iron,  weighing  900  pounds  each,  and  known  as  "  stamps," 
and  its  subsequent  roasting  in  large,  hollow  cylinders,  salt  being  largely 
employed  in  the  former,  and  quicksilver  in  the  lattei'  stage  of  the  operation. 
The  Alice  mine,  the  main  shaft  of  which  is  1,000  feet  deep,  yields  about  100 
tons  of  ore  per  day,  and  its  bullion  product  approaches  $100,000  per  month. 
The  great  Lexington  property  is  owned  by  a  French  company,  which,  in  1S81, 
gave  $3,000,000  for  it  to  an  honored  citizen  of  the  Territory,  who  is  said  to 
have  bought  it,  some  few  years  before,  for  one  dollar.  It  has  the  reputation  of 
being  one  of  the  richest,  most  extensive  and  most  complete  mines  in  the  entire 
West,  and  its  production  has  been  :$i, 000,000  per  annum  for  some  years  past. 
The  Blpe  Bird,  Moulton  and  Silver  Bow  have  70,  40  and  30  stamps,  respect- 
ively. They  arc  magnificent  properties,  and  exceedingly  productive.  The 
first-named  is  a  comparatively  new  enterprise,  and  its  appliances  are  of  the 
most  improved  desciiption,  while  the  Muuiton  iias  long  made  the  proud  boast 
of  working  its  ore  to  a  higher  percentage  of  its  value  than  any  other  mill 
in  the  district. 

But  it  is  the  copper  mines  and  smelters  that  represent  the  largest  capital  ; 
give  employment  to  the  greatest  number  of  men  ;  have  the  largest  production, 


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both  in  tonnage  and  aggregate  value ;  and,  it  may  be  added,  make  the  most 
smoke.  At  the  head  of  the  rich  and  powerful  companies  engaged  in  this  indus- 
try, stands  the  Anaconda, — its  mine  at  Butte,  the  greatest  copper  property 
in  America,  its  smehing  works,  at  the  neighboring  town  of  Anaconda,  the  largest 
of  their  kind  in  the  world.  Sold,  seven  years  ago,  for  an  amount  that  would 
not  now  be  more  than  sufficient  to  pay  its  employes  a  week's  wages,  its  property 
is  roughly  estimated  to  be  worth  $15,000,000.  It  handles  daily  1,500  tons  of 
ore,  yielding  225  tons  of  matte,  or  150  tons  of  pure  copper.  Its  entire  machin- 
ery run  by  water-power,  it  yet  requires  for  its  furnaces  upward  of  200  cords  of 
wood  per  day,  and  it  is  known  to  have  once  let  a  contract  for  300,000  cords, 
representing  upward  of  $1,000,000. 

Second  only  to  this  gigantic  concern,  is  the  Parrott  Company,  with  an  annual 
output  of  about  14,000,000  pounds,  valued,  with  its  silver  contents,  at  about 
$1,500,000.  Mention  must  also  be  made  of  the  works  of  the  Montana  Copper 
Company,  which  have  a  capacity  averaging  over  a  million  pounds  of  fine  copper 
per  month  ;  Clark's  Colusa,  which  produced  last  year  about  $800,000  in  copper 
and  $950,000  in  silver,  and  is  said  to  have  in  sight,  above  the  300-foot  level,  at 
least  150,000  tons  of  valuable  ore  ;  and  the  Colorado,  whose  gross  output  in 
1886  was  valued  at  $890,000. 

While  there  are  no  mines  in  Butte  that  outrank  the  foregoing  in  importance, 
'•jome  there  probably  are  that  might  seem  to  have  an  equal  claim  to  a  place  in 
this  list.  It  should  therefore  be  stated  that,  as  in  the  case  of  those  tributary  to 
Helena,  the  line  has  been  drawn,  not  arbitrarily,  but  at  those  which  furnished 
^nii  most  accessible  statistical  and  other  information  likely  to  be  of  interest  to 
;ae  general  reader  and  the  visitor. 

Returning  to  the  main  line,  and  resuming  our  westward  journey,  with  fine 
tnountain  scenery,  including  the  snowclad  peaks  of  Mount  Powell,  on  our  left, 
we  come  to  Drummond,  from  which  point  a  branch  line  has  been  constructed 
to  the  rich  mining  districts  of  New  Chicago  and  Phillipsburg.  In  the  vicinity  of 
Rumsey,  its  terminus,  is  the  famous  Granite  Mountain  mine,which  paid  $1,200,000 
in  dividends  during  the  first  eight  months  of  1888,  and  is  said  to  be  i)roducing 
more  silver  per  month  than  any  other  mine  in  the  world.  Its  vein  of  ore  is  six 
feet  wide,  and  there  are  places  where  it  assays  as  high  as  2,000  ounces  of  silver 
to  the  ton.  There  are  several  other  valuable  miping  properties  in  this  locality, 
and  it  may  safely  be  predicted  that  Phillipsburg,  now  rarely  heard  of  beyond 
the  limits  of  the  Territory,  except  in  mining  circles,  will  become  as  widely  known 
as  the  most  famous  mining  city  on  the  continent. 

P'ollowing  the  valley  of  the  Hell  (kite  River,  the  name  assumed  by  the  Deer 
Lodge,  after  receiving  the  waters  of  the  Little  Blackfoot,  we  presently  enter 
Hell  Cate  Canon,  at  first  a  beautiful  valley,  from  two  to  three  miles  in  width, 
but  narrowing  as  we  go  westward,  until,  from  between  its  stupendous  walls,  we 
suddenly  emerge  upon  a  broad  plateau,  where  stands  tiie  city  of  Missoula. 
Before  tlie  advent  of  the  railroad,  Missoula  was  merely  an  isolated  military  post. 
Now,  however,  it  is  a  flourishing  little  city,  and  the  recent  construction  of  a 


1 


THOMPSON  FALLS  AND  SCENERY  ON  CLARK'S  FORK  OF  THE  COLUMBIA, 
1,  Thompson  Falls.  2.  Deer  Park.  3,  East  Entrance  to  Hotse  Pitint. 

(42) 


WONDERLAND.  48 

brmic!i  line  up  the  Bilter  Root  Valley  (an  exceedingly  fertile  and  well-settled 
region,  where  fine  crops  of  cereals,  fruit  and  vegetables  are  raised  annually), 
bids  fair  to  invest  it  with  still  greater  importance.  Missoula,  though  not 
possessing  any  luxurious  hotel  acconunodations,  is  a  place  at  which  the  tourist 
traveling  in  a  leisurely  way  will  do  well  to  make  a  brief  halt,  especially  if  he  be 
anything  of  a  sportsman,  mountain  trout  and  grayling  abounding  in  the  various 
streams  of  the  locality,  while  ducks  and  prairie  chickens,  deer,  elk  and  bear  are  < 
also  plentiful.  The  jiresent  southern  terminus  of  the  Missoula  &  l^itter  Root 
Valley  line  is  Grantsdale,  fifty  miles  from  Missoula,  but  the  line  will  probably 
be  extended  in  the  near  future  to  Trapper  Creek,  twenty-five  miles  further, 
where  several  rich  veins  have  recently  been  opened  up. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  th'at  there  are  few  tracts  of  country  within  the 
four  corners  of  the  Union  less  known  than  the  region  lying  between  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad  and  the  international  boundary,  and  bounded  east 
and  west  by  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Columbia  River.  From  the  testi- 
mony of  those  who  have  explored  it,  however,  it  undoubtedly  possesses  many 
features  of  extraordinary  interest. 

Readily  accessible  from  the  railroad  is  the  Flathead  Indian  Reservation. 
At  Arlee  station,  the  tourist  is  within  five  miles  of  the  agency,  and  at  Ravalli  a 
like  distance  from  St.  Ignatius  Mission.  A  full  account  of  the  excellent  work 
carried  on  among  the  Indians  by  the  Jesuit  Fathers,  together  with  an  exceed- 
ingly mteresting  description  of  the  Flathead  country  generally,  appeared  in 
the  Century  Magazine  for  October,  1882.  Some  very  fine  scenery,  including 
Pumpelly  Canon,  said  to  possess  many  of  the  striking  features  of  the  Yosemite 
Valley,  can  be  embraced  within  a  single  day's  excursion  from  the  Mission. 

The  better  acquainted  the  tourist  is  with  other  routes  to  the  Pacific  Coast, 
the  less  hesitation  will  he  have  in  awarding  the  palm,  for  beauty  and  diversity 
of  natural  scenery,  to  the  Northern  Pacific.  He  is  now  approaching  a  long 
stretch  of  line  where  he  will  look  out  upon  .scenery  of  an  entirely  different  char- 
acter from  any- that  has  preceded  it.     It  is  in  the  country  of  the  famous 


LAKE    PEND    D'OREILLE, 


and  Clark's  Fork  of  the  Columbia.  For  140  miles  of  its  course,  in  western 
Montana  and  the  Panhandle  of  Idaho,  the  line  follows  the  windings  of  a 
stream  that  for  grand  and  imposing  river  scenery  is  second  only  to  the  peerless 
Columbia  itself.  It  is  near  Arlee  that  there  approaches  the  railway  the  first  of 
those  beautiful  streams  whose  gathered  waters  subsequently  spread  theni....lves 
out  into,  perhaps,  the  most  beautiful  of  all  American  lakes,  before  they 
finally  sweep  northward  to  join  the  great.  Columbia.  This  stream,  the  Jocko, 
the  line  follows  to  its  confiuence  with  the  Flathead,  coming  out  from  the  great 
Flathead  Lake.     Their  united  waters  take  the  name  of  the  Pend  d'Oreille,  to 


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WONDERLAND. 


45 


become  the  Clark's  Fork   of  the    Columbia,  at  the  point  at  which  they  mingle 
with  those  of  the  Missoula. 

One  hundred  and  two  miles  from  Missoula  is  the  town  of  Thompson  Falls, 
with  several  fine  trout  streams  in  its  vicinity,  and  un  abundance  of  large  game 
in  the  s'lrrounding  forest.  This  was  formerly  the  principal  diverging  point  for 
the  Cu2ur  d'Alene  mines.  I'Lvery  reader  will  remember  the  excitement  that 
followed  the  discovery  of  this  rich  district  in  1883,  and  the  distress  which 
accompanied  the  non-realization  of  the  extravagant  expectations  with  which 
some  thousands  of  penniless  adventurers  had  poured  into  the  district.  "  111 
news  travels  apace,"  says  the  old  proverb,  and  it  is  probably  not  nearly  so  well 
known  that,  with  the  introduction  of  hydraulic  mining,  the  district  has  taken 
high  rank  among  the  mineral  regions  of  the  Northwest,  and  has  abundantly 
demonstrated  that  former  claims  as  to  the  richness  and  permanency  of  its  mines 
were  well  founded. 

Continuing  that  great  northwestward  sweep,  which  finally  brings  it  within 
45  miles  of  the  international  boundary,  the  train  presently  arrives  at  Heron,  an 
important  divisional  terminus,  where  thi^re  is  a  change  of  one  hour,  from 
Mountain  to  Pacific  time.  This  little  settlement  has  long  been  a  favorite 
resort  of  the  angler  and  sportsman.  Mr.  W.  C.  Harris,  himself,  says  of  it  that 
there  is  undoubtedly  some  of  the  best  fishing  in  the  entire  West  in  its  vicinity. 
Its  streams  abound  with  mountain  trout,  char,  and  a  fish  known  locally  as  the 
grayling,  which,  however,  is  not  the  Montana  grayling,  but  the  much-esteemed 
Dolly  Varden  trout.  The  last  named  sometimes  reaches  ten  pounds  in  weight. 
A  fine  specimen  27^  inches  long,  caught  by  Mr.  Egbert  A.  Brown,  Divisional 
Telegraph  Superintendent  at  Heron,  was  sent  east,  in  October,  1886,  where  it 
was  examined  by  Professor  Bean,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  Professor 
Gordon  and  other  authorities,  all  of  whom  pronounced  it  the  Dolly  Varden 
Trout  {salveliiius  iiiahiui).  In  the  correspondence  of  the  American  Ampler  of 
recent  dates  are  found  scores  in  this  locality  that  average  some  70  fish  per  day, 
for  each  man.  A  local  correspondent  of  the  same  paper  gives  the  following 
comparative  record  of  the  success  that  has  attended  visits  to  the  various  waters 
of  the  district,  each  of  wiiich  represents  one  day's  sport  : — in  the  Jocko  River, 
between  Ravalli  and  Jocko,  63  pounds  ;  in  the  Bull  River,  seven  miles  east  of 
Heron,  42  pounds  ;  in  Lightning  Creek,  14  mjles  west  of  Heron,  29  pounds; 
and  in  the  Spokane  River,  between  Idaho  Line  and  Trent,  73  pounds. 

But  while  in  the  economy  of  nature  it  is  wisely  ordained  that  perhaps  not 
more  than  one  man  in  a  hundred  should  have  the  tastes  of  an  angler,  there  are 
few  who  have  not  a  sufficient  taste  for  the  beautiful  to  look  out  of  the  car  win- 
dows with  delight  upon  that  infinitely  varied  and  beautiful  scenery,  through 
which  the  train  passes,  both  east  and  west  of  Heron.  For  many  hours  there  is  a 
continuous  unfolding  of  scenes,  in  which  are  combined,  with  nature's  inimitable 
skill  and  infinite  variety,  all  that  is  grandest  in  mountaiii,  all  that  is  most  grace- 
ful in  woodland  and  stream.  Sometimes  on  a  level  with  the  railway,  at  other 
times  far  beneath  it ;  here  on  the  right,  there  on  the  left ;  now  flowing  calmly 


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WONDERLAND. 


47 


along  in  one  unbroken  sheet  of  liquid  emerald,  in  which  are  reflected  with  won- 
drous fidelity  the  stately  forms  of  the  g.igantic  pines  that  grow  upon  its  banks 
and  the  imposing  mountains  that  rise  thousands  of  feet  above  it,  and  then  tear- 
ing its  way  tumultuously  through  a  magnificent  rocky  gorge,  whose  wild  and 
romantic  appearance  presents  one  of  those  startling  contrasts  to  what  has  pre- 
ceded it  which  never  fail  to  produce  a  powerful  impression  on  the  beholder — 
such  is  Clark's  Fork  of  the  Columbia,  a  river  whose  changeful  scenes  are  always 
among  the  most  delightful  reminiscences  of  a  trip  over  this  great  scenic  line. 
Where,  hour  after  hour,  every  revolution  of  the  car  wheels  reveals  a  new  scene 
of  beauty  or  sublimity,  it  is  difficult  to  single  out  particular  points  as  worthy  of 
special  notice,  but  probably  Cabinet  Gorge,  five  miles  west  of  Heron,  may  be 
regarded  as  the  climax  of  this  long  stretch  of  charming  scenery.  Here  the 
river  makes  a  sudden  turn  through  a  romantic  rocky  channel,  with  a  perpen- 
dicular cliff  rising  sheer  from  its  right  bank  to  a  height  of  several  hundred  feet. 
Imposing  mountains  tower  far  above,  and  the  entire  scene  is  so  replete  with 
the  elements  of  the  picturesque,  and  so  admirable  in  its  proportions,  that  it  can 
scarcely  fail  to  arrest  the  attention  of  even  the  most  preoccupied  traveler. 
Seven  and  one-half  miles  west  of  this  point,  the  railroad  crosses  the  river  by  a 
fine  bridge,  from  which  the  tourist  gets  the  last  of  that  wonderful  series  of 
pictures  which  in  a  ride  as  long  as  from  New  York  to  Albany,— but  immeasur- 
ably surpassing  the  Hudson  in  beauty, — has  never  for  a  moment  relaxed  its  spell 
over  him.  This  is  his  last  view  of  the  river,  until,  after  a  short  interval,  it  reap- 
pears in  the  form  of  the  lovely  Lake  Pend  d'Oreille. 

So  irregular  in  shape  and  deeply  indented  in  outline,  that,  while  it  possesses 
a  shore  line  of  probably  250  miles,  the  longest  straight  line  that  could  be  drawn 
upon  it  would  not  exceed  forty  miles  in  length,  this  beautiful  sheet  of  water 
may,  without  exaggeration,  be  said  to  challenge  comparison  with  the  most 
famous  lakes,  either  in  the  Old  or  New  World.  Its  extent  is  so  great  that,  were 
it  surrounded  by  mountains  of  no  higher  elevation  than  those  which  overshadow 
not  a  few  eastern  lakes  standing  high  in  popular  estimation,  its  scenery,  if  not 
absolutely  tame  and  uninteresting,  would  fall  infinitely  short  of  the  beauty  and 
grandeur  that  really  distinguish  it  ;  but  the  magnificent  mountains  that  look 
down  upon  it  rise,  range  above  range,  until  they  reach  an  elevation  of  more 
than  10,000  feet.  The  railroad  follows  its  winding  north  shore  for  twenty-five 
miles,  and  until  recently  what  the  traveler  could  see  of  its  beauty  was  limited 
to  this  small  section,  just  about  one-tenth,  of  its  devious  shore  line.  The  rail- 
road company  has,  however,  recently  erected,  at  an  admirably  selected  point 
that  not  only  commands  an  extensive  panoramic  view,  but  is  also  an  advanta- 
geous one  for  visiting  the  chief  points  of  interest,  a  small  hotel,  which,  operated 
in  connection  with  the  dining-car  department,  affords  the  best  accommodations 
at  reasonable*  cost.  The  prospect  commanded  by  this  home-like  resting  place, 
known  as  "  Highland  House,"  is  a  superb  one,  indeed.  In  the  immediate  fore- 
ground the  green  waters  break  soothingly  upon  a  pebbly  beach,  or  fall  in  crested 
waves.     Beyond  the  picturesque  islands  that  lie  out  a  mile  or  two  from  shore 


•7- 


4S 


WONDERLAND. 


(one  of  whicli  has  a  number  of  Indian  graves  in  an  excellent  state  of  preserva- 
tion), the  traveler  looks  southward  over  the  widest  part  of  the  lake  to  where, 
nineteen  miles  away,  Granite  Point  rises  perpendicularly  from  the  water  724 
feet,  with  dranite  Mountain  behind  it,  towermg  5,300  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  lake,  itself  surmounted  by  the  snowy  peaks  of  Pack  Saddle  Mountain,  and 
they,  in  turn,  by  the  j,'reat  purple  range  of  the  CcEur  d'AIenes.  On  the  right  and 
left  recede  into  distance  the  deeply  indented  shores,  here  clothed  with  luxuriant 
forests,  there  bare  and  precipitous,  with  mountains  of  imposing  height  beyond. 
The  lake  is  said  by  local  anglers  to  :ontain  Silver  and  Rainbow  trout,  gray- 
ling (Dolly  Varden  trout?)  and  char.  There  is  an  abundance  of  mountain  trout 
in  the  many  small  creeks  discharging  themselves  into  it.  In  June,  18S7,  over 
thirty  trout  were  taken  in  two  hours  by  a  couple  of  anglers  who  were  entire 
strangers  to  the  stream  in  which  they  were  fishing.  The  following  month  a 
visitor  from  Minneapolis  and  one  from  New  York  went  out  together  to  Trestle 
Creek,  within  a  short  distance  of  the  hotel,  and  caught  forty  trout,  averaging 
one  pound  each,  in  the  course  of  the  forenoon.  In  July,  a  visitor  from  Man- 
chester, la.,  who  went  out  with  three  local  sportsmen,  returned  with  five  pairs 
of  deer  horns,  in  addition  to  having  had  "  an  extra  fine  time  with  trout  fishing." 
Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the 

i 
ABUNDANCE   OF   LARGE   GAME 


in  the  forests  lying  between  this  section  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  and 
the  international  line.  Within  a  few  miles  of  any  of  the  stations  on  Lake  Pend 
d'Oreille  may  be  found  mule  deer,  white-tailed  deer,  elk,  caribou  and  moose, 
black  and  cinnamon  bear,  and  mountain  sheep.  Of  winged  game,  geese,  ducks 
and  partridge  are  plentiful,  and  they  may  be  shot  at  any  season  of  the  year. 
The  railroad  company  has  four  stations  on  the  north  shore  of  the  lake.  The 
first  is  Hope,  where  is  situated  the  hotel,  and  that  only.  The  others  are  Pack 
River,  Kootenai  and  Sand  Point,  but  only  at  the  last  named  is  there  anything 
like  a  settlement.  From  Kootenai,  a  wagon  road  extends  northward  through 
the  famous  Kootenai  country  to  Bonner's  Ferry,  on  the  Kootenai  River,  a  fine 
but,  in  pUces,  shallow  stream,  three  or  four  hundred  feet  broad.  From  the 
Ferry,  hunting  parties  can  follow  the  river,  either  into  the  mountains  or  down  to 
Kootenai  Lake. 

A  few  miles  distant  from  the  foot  of  Lake  Pend  d'Oreille,  and  easily  accessi- 
ble, is  a  lake  of  doubtful  orthography,  but  the  very  opposite  of  doubtful  in  its 
claims  upon  the  attention  of  the  angler  and  sportsman.  It  bears  an  Indian 
name,  which  phonetic  spelling  has  rendered  in  at  least  three  different  ways: 
Kaniksu,  Kanasku  and  Kunusku.  The  district  is  a  famous  one  for  game. 
Beaver  and  mink  skins,  to  the  value  of  over  $2,000,  were  brought  down  from  it 
to  the  railroad  last  fall  and  spring,  while  two  gentlemen  who  paid  a  brief  visit 
to  the  lake  in  May,  1887,  killed  thirteen  caribou  in  one  day.     In  the  following 


WONDERLAND. 


49 


September  it  was  visited  by  a  large  party  of  gentlemen  from  New  York  and 
Brooklyn,  whose  adventures  formed  the  subject  of  a  long  and  interesting  article, 
entitled  "  Esoc  Quel,"  in  Forest  and  Stream,  of  October  20,  which  sportsmen  will 
do  well  to  peruse.  Among  the  game  killed  by  this  party  were  twenty-three 
black-tailed  deer,  besides  white-tailed  deer,  caribou,  hares,  beaver,  grouse  of 
three  varieties,  and  ducks. 

From  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Pend  d'Oreille,  the  Clark's  Fork  River,  which 
forms  its  outlet,  runs  away  northwestward  to  meet  the  Columbia.  The  railroad, 
which  has  likewise  been  running  northwestward  since  leavi  ig  Livingston,  now 
takes  a  southwestward  sweep,  v.  hi^li  carries  it,  first  of  all,  through  a  dense 
forest,  containing  but  few  settlements,  and  little  that  is  of  special  interest,  except 
the  beautiful  Lake  Cocolala,  a  long  but  narrow  sheet  of  water  on  the  north  side 
of  the  track.  The  first  place  of  importance  is  Rathdrum,  one  of  the  best  points 
on  the  line  both  for  game  and  fish,  having  three  lakes — Hayden  Lake,  Spirit 
■  Lake  and  Fish  Lake — within  ten  miles,  as  well  as  a  dense  forest  to  the  cast, 
south  and  northwest.  Priest  Lake,  fifty  miles  north,  was  visited  during  1887  by 
various  eastern  and  other  sportsmen,  who,  in  addition  to  an  abundance  of  fish, 
were  rewarded  also  with  grouse,  pheasanc&,  black  and  white-tailed  deer,  caribou 
and  bear. 

Nine  miles  west  of  Rathdrum,  the  line  leaves  the  Panhandle  of  Idaho  and 
enters  Washington  Territory,  to  which  that  northern  projection  of  the  former 
Territory  will  probably,  at  no  distant  day,  be  annexed.  Near  this  point,  the 
forest,  which  has  closely  hemmed  in  the  line  on  both  sides,  recedes,  leaving  a 
fine  open  space.  In  a  half-hearted  sort  of  way,  however,  it  again  approaches 
the  track,  but  almost  immediately  there  is  spread  out  before  the  traveler  the 
great  Spokane  plain.  Two  miles  west  of  Trent,  the  Spokane  River,  the  outlet 
of  Lake  Coeur  d'Alene,  comes  in  from  the  south,  and  after  '"^aking  a  broad 
sweep  on  the  right  side  of  the  track  once  more  approaches  thr  >  1  i  oad,  which  it 
finally  leaves  for  that  sinuous  rocky  channel  which  has  given  to  the  flourishing 
little  city  on  its  banks  the  well-known  name  it  bears. 

SPOKANE   FALLS, 


whatever  it  may  have  been  in  ante-railroad  days,  has  always  been  a  bright  and 
promising  little  city  since  the  great  transcontinental  highway  over  which  we  are 
traveling  first  reached  it.  But  it  has  been  promising  in  the  magnificence  and 
diversity  of  the  capabilities  of  the  country  naturally  tributary  to  it,  rather  than 
in  actual  enterprise  or  the  evidences  of  rapid  growth,  until  quite  recently, 
when  it  has  received  an  impetus  that  has  made  it  the  most  rapidly  growing  town 
between  Lake  Superior  and  Puget  Sounu.  Travelers  by  rail,  seeing  nothing  of 
its  great  falls,  aad  being  in  entire  ignorance  of  the  vast  wheat  country  and  the 
seven  rich  mining  districts  soon  to  pour  their  wealth  into  its  lap,  have  been  wont 
to  inquire  whether  it  was  supposed  that  beauty  of  situation  was  of  itself  sufiScient 


60 


WOXDERf.AND. 


.'J'S^' 


tu  make  a  larj,'e  and  substa'itial  town.  Everyone,  however,  who  was  acquainted 
witli  the  capabilities  of  tho  surrounding  country  knew  that  it  was  only  a  ques- 
tion of  time  when  Snokane  Falls  would  become  a  nourishing  city,  and  their 
predictions  are  being  verified  even  sooner  than  they  expected. 

While  it  is  more  particularly  with  regard  to  its  claims  upon  the  attention  of 
the  tourist  that  we  have  to  deal  in  these  pages,  its  growing  importance  as  a 
commercial  and  manufacturing  centre  cannot  be  altogether  overlooked.  The 
first  may  be  suminec  up  in'  a  brief  reference  to  its  beautiful  situation,  upon 
a  gravel  plateau,  slopmg  gently  towards  the  river,  overlooked  by  i)ine-clad  hills 
with  lofty  mountain  ranges  in  the  far  distance,  and  to  those  great  falls  where 
the  river,  divided  by  basaltic  islands  into  three  distinct  streams,  curving  towards 
e.':;ch  other  and  pouring  their  floods  into  a  common  basin,  comes  surging  and 
foaming  to  make  its  final  plunge  of  sixty-five  feet  into  the  deep  chasm  below. 

These  falls  are  undoubtedly  the  key  to  that  commercial  sui)remacy  which 
the  city  is  most  assuredly  destined  to  exercise  over  a  wide  extent  of  country 
WiiiU;  the  well-known   Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  at  Minneapolis,  represent  a  force 
o*^  135,000  horse  power,  those  of  the  Spokane  represent  one  of  216,000  horse 
power,  utilizable  with  equal  uicility  at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 

Several  branch  lines  have  alreaily  been  ccjnstructed  to  important  points  in 
the  region  naturally  tributary  to  Spokane  Falla  One  of  them  affords  direct 
communication  with  the  Cocur  d'Alene  mining  district,  and  another  brings  the 
great  Palouse  wheat  country  within  easy  reach.  A  third,  known  as  the  Central 
Washington  line,  to  be  extended  across  the  15ig  Bend  Country,  and  to  connect 
with  the  main  line  at  some  point  on  the  Cascade  Division,  has  its  present  western 
terminus  at  Davenport,  about  forty  miles  from  Cheney.  This  line  runs  via  the 
now  famous  Medical  Lake,  to  which  reference  is  elsewhere  made.  The  building 
of  a  branch  northward  to  the  rich  Colville  mining  district  is  in  contemplation, 
and  will  probably  be  carried  out  in  the  near  future. 

The  Coeur  d'Alene  branch  ifives  the  main  line  at  Hauser  Junction, 
nineteen  miles  east  of  Spokane  Falls.  Even  should  the  tourist  take  no 
particular  interest  in  that  wonderful  development  of  mineral  wealth  which 
is  taking  place  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  region,  he  will  still  do  well  to  take  a 
short  trip  into  the  district,  if  only  for  the  sake  of  the  beautiful  scenery  it  affords, 
and  the  delightful  sail  on  Lake  Coeur  d'Alene  which  the  excursion  includes. 
The  Coeur  d'Alene  branch  passes  Fort  Sherman,  long  known  as  Fort  Coeur 
d'Alene,  and  recently  re-named  in  honor  of  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman,  who  first 
selected  its  site.  Its  terminus  is  Cceur  d'Alene  City,  situated  at  the  outlet  of  a 
lake  that  even  rivals  in  the  beauty  of  its  waters  and  the  grandeur  of  its  mount- 
ain scenery  the  more  accessible  Pend  D'Oreille,  while  its  conveniences  for 
boating  and  fishing  are  equally  good.  A  well-appointed  steamer  makes  round 
trips  daily,  except  Sunday,  during  the  season,  between  Creur  d'Alene  City  and 
Mission,  where  the  Jesuit  Fathers  began,  piany  years  ago,  an  excellent  work 


irox/)/:A'/.,iXf>. 


01 


among  the  Indians  of  the  district,  whicii  they  have  conlinueil  witii  iiiarked 
success  down  to  tlie  present  time.  I'roni  Mission,  the  narrow-jiaiij^e  railway  of 
the  Cceiir  d'Alene  Railway  iV  Navigation  (Company,  recently  leased  by  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  runs  to  W'ardner  and  liurke, 

Equally  worthy  of  the  observant  traveler's  attention  is  the  I'alouse  wheat 
country.  The  branch  that  connects  Spokane  Falls  with  this  famous  region 
leaves  the  main  line  at  Marshall  Junction,  and  runs  almost  directly  southward. 

The  capabilities  of  this  section  of  the  Territory  for  the  annual  production 
of  a  prodigious  crop  of  wheat  at  a  cost  undreamt  of  even  in  Dakota,  save  on 
one  or  two  isolated  farms  (and  there,  only  under  exceptionally  favorable  con- 
ditions), recently  led  the  accomplished  and  practical  correspondent  of  an  in- 
fluential New  York  journal,  who  had  been  taking  an  exceedingly  .pessimistic 
view  of  the  future  of  wheat-growing  in  the  ^V\■st,  to  declare,  in  an  outburst  of 
enthusiasm,  that  this  I'alouse  country  is  destined  to  do  nothing  less  than 
entirely  destroy  wheat-growing  in  India,  by  virtue  of  its  immense  crops,  its 
favorable  seasons,  its  economy  of  production  and  its  proximity  to  the  sea- 
board. Certainly  it  is  a  wonderful  region.  What  thirty  bushels  to  the  acre 
are  to  the  Dakota  farmer,  a  crop  of  fifty  bushels  is  to  the  farmer  in  the  Palouse 
country. 

The  climate  of  eastern  Washington,  to  which  alone  this  remarkable  state  of 
things  is  due,  differs  entirely  from  that  of  the  western  half  of  the  Territory,  from 
,,  which  it  is  divided  by  the  Cascade  Range  of  mountains.  Indeed  no  greater  mis- 
take could  be  made  than  to  suppose  that  the  more  or  less  humid  climate  of  the 
coast  is  characteristic  of  the  Territory  as  a  whole.  On  the  contrary,  the  eastern 
half  is  remarkably  dry,  and  that,  too,  without  those  extremes  of  temperature 
which  usually  accompany  a  dry  climate.  The  climate  of  the  Palouse  country, 
as  of  other  sections  adjacent  to  Spokane  Falls,  has  even  a  less  rainfall  than 
the  Mississippi  Valley,  while  snow  rarely  lies  more  than  a  few  days  at  a  time. 
Mild,  sunny  \yeather  usually  prevails  until  the  middle  of  December,  and  the 
brief  spells  of  cold  that  may  visit  it  during  the  following  few  weeks  are  invari- 
ably cut  short  by  the  Kuro-siwo,  or  Japan  current,  popularly  known  as  the 
Chinook  wind,  whicli,  striking  the  coasts  of  British  Columbia  and  Washington 
Territory,  sends  a  warm  wave  over  the  entire  northwestern  country,  extending 
even  to  the  valleys  of  Montana,  where  it  has  been  known  to  raise  the  temjierature 
ninety  degrees  in  a  few  hours.  In  this  connection  it  may  be  added  that  the 
sloppy,  dismal  weather  which  throughout  so  large  a  part  of  the  United  States 
accompanies  the  dreary  months  of  winter,  is  here  almost  unknown,  nor  do 
the  storms  which  actually  visit  the  country  at  all  approach  in  severity  those 

experienced  elsewhere. 

As  is  the  case  in  northern  Dakota  and  Montana,  the  nutritious  native 
grasses  are  converted  into  hay  as  they  stand,  thus  affording  winter  nourishment 
for  the  domestic  flocks  and  herds  of  to-day,  just  as  they  did  for  the  buffalo  in 
days  gone  by.  It  may  be  well  to  add,  in  view  of  the  foregoing  statement 
relative  to  the  dryness  of  the  climate,  that  if  any  reader  should  suppose  that 

i5340H 


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WONDERLAND. 


5» 


irrigation  is  netessary,  he  will  be  utterly  mistaken.  Where  the  cereal  crops-and 
the  vegetables  that  grow  in  such  profusion  derive  the  moisture  necessary  to 
their  maturity  Is  a  mystery,  but  the  crops  never  fail,  and  it  must  not  he  for- 
gotten th:iL,  new  as  is  the  country  in  the  main,  there  are  portions  of  it,  here  and 
there.  A/here  fr-.rming  operations  have  been  carried  on  for  many  years,  and  the 
capabilities  of  the  soil  thoroughly  tested.  Not  to  make  this  agricultural  digres- 
sion toe  long  for  the  general  reader,  it  may  be  added  in  conclusion  that  from  one 
point  alone — Oakesdale,  on  the  Spokane  and  Palouse  branch,  there  have  already 
been  shipped  in  a  single  season  6,000  pounds  of  fruit,  including  peaches,  plums, 
cherries,  and  apples,  and  97,000  pounds  of  wool,  besides  a  large  quantity  of 
wheat;  and  .  lat  the  entire  region,  which  contains  about  5.000,000  acres  of 
agricultural  land,  is  capable  of  producing  200,000,000  bushels  of  wlicat  annually, 
at  a  cost  but  slightly  exceeding  ten  cents  per  bushel,  besiiles  enormous  quan- 
tities of  fruit  and  wool,  thus  keeping  the  wharves  of  Tacoma  busy  with  a 
foreign  commerce  greater  even  than  that  of  San  Francisco. 

The  country  westward  from  Spokane  Falls  is  of  no  special  interest  until 
Cheney  is  reached,  an  important  wheat-shipping  point  in  the  midst  of  a  rich 
farming  country,  very  little  of  which,  however,  is  seen  from  the  car  windows. 
Eight  miles  distant  is  a  large  sheet  of  water  known  as  Medical  Lake,  from  the 
remedial  properties  of  its  waters. 

Thirty-one  miles  west  of  Cheney,  the  train  runs  into  Sprague,  the  judicial 
seat  of  its  county,  the  headquarters  for  a  division  of  the  railroad,  and  the  ship- 
ping and  distributing  point  for  a  rich  section  of  country,  which,  though  unseen 
by  the  traveler,  is  at  no  great  distance  from  the  railroad. 

Sixty-nine  miles  we.-tv/ard  from  Sprague  is  Palouse  Junction,  from  which 
point  also  a  line  has  be  n  built  into  the  Palouse  wheat  country.  Thirty-five 
miles  more  and  we  arriv.^  at  Pasco  Junction,  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  Cascade 
division  of  the  railroad,  and  the  pomt  at  which  passengers  for  Portland  have  to 
elect  whether  they  will  continue  their  jourri'/y  via  Wallula  Junction  and  the 
Columbia  River  line  or  by  way  of  Tacoma.  Fifteen  miles  beyond  Pasco  Junc- 
tion, on  the  old  main  line,  is  Hunt's  Junction,  from  which  point  the  lines  of  rlie 
Oregon  &  Washington  Territory  R.  R.  extend  to  the  old  town  of  Walla  Walla 
and  other  tov.  .isof  growing  importance  in  Southeastern  Washington  and  North- 
eastern Oregon.  The  construction  of  this  sy-stem  of  lines  will  give  a  great 
imi)etus  to  the  development  of  a  rich  agricultural  region. 

The  Cascade  division,  260  miles  in  length,  presents  the  same  remarkable 
diversity  of  physical  conditions  and  natural  scenery  that  characterizes  the 
country  traversed  by  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  as  a  whole.  For  150  miles, 
as  we  journey  northwestward,  it  consists  mainly  of  a  far-extending  plain,  covered 
with  sage  brush  and  bunch  grass,  and  of  fertile  and  beautiful  valleys.  We  then 
enter  a  great  forest  belt,  some  seventy-five  miles  in  breadth,  which  affords  us  an 
opportunity  to  see  something  of  the  wealth  of  the  Territory  in  merchantable 
timber.  It  is  here  that  we  cross  the  Cascade  range,  indeed  the  largest  timber 
is  on  the  west  slope  of  the  mountains,  magnificent  forest  trees  growing  almost 


COUGAR  MOUNTAIN,  GREEN  RIVER,  W.  T. 


^M) 


t^mmm 


^ 


WONDERLAND. 


66 


down  to  the  water's  edge.  The  remainder  of  the  line  lies  in  a  narrow  valley, 
from  whose  rich,  warm  soil  are  raised  those  immense  crops  of  hops  which  are 
the  astonishment  of  the  hop-grower  all  over  the  world. 

Leaving  Pasco  Junction,  the  line  runs  down  to  the  Columbia  River,  across 
which  it  is  carried  by  a  fine  bridge,  consisting  of  nine  spans,  two  iron  approaches, 
and  a  draw,  having  a  total  length  of  2,437  feet,  'i'lie  first  important  town  we  reach 
is  Yakima,  situated  in  a  fertile  valley  of  the  Yakima  River.  Not  only  has  this 
long  been  a  favorite  district  with  stockmen,  but  its  rich  soil  produces  sorghum 
(yielding  about  300  gallons  of  syrup  to  the  acre),  sweet  potatoes,  tobacco,  egg 
plant,  melon's,  wheat  of  a  superior  quality,  garden  vegetables  and  fruits  of  all 
descriptions.  After  leaving  Yakima,  the  line  follows  for  many  miles  the 
tortuous  course  of  the  Yal  ima  River,  through  a  winding  canon  abounding  in 
beautiful  scenery.  This  brings  it  to  the  valley  of  the  Kittitas,  a  well-settled 
region,  some  400  square  miles  in  extent.  The  most  important  town  here  is 
Ellensburgh,  the  railroad  headquarters  for  the  division.  This  flourishing  town 
has  a  good  water-power,  which  has  been  taken  advantage  of  in  the  erection  of 
both  flouring  mills  and  saw  mills.  Not  only  has  it  tributary  to  it  an  extensive 
area  of  good  agricultural  land,  but  gold,  silver,  copper  and  bituminous  coal  are 
all  found  in  its  vicinity.  Gold  to  the  value  of  $150,000  has  already  been  shipped, 
and  the  other  mineral  deposits  are  equally      mising. 

Twenty-four  miles  beyond  Ellensbur-  irain  stops  at  Clealum  Junction, 

from  which  point  a  branch  extends  to  Roslyu,  where  there  is  a  deposit  of  true 
bituminous  coal,  35,000  acres  in  extent.  Twenty-five  thousand  tons  per  month 
are  already  being  mined,  and  this  shipment  will  doubtle-  be  Iargel\  increased, 
for  the  po.ssibilities  of  production  are  almost  unlimited,  one  vein  alone  being 
estimated  to  contain  300,000,000  tons.  Another  half-hour  and  we  reach  1  iston, 
where  the  line,  which  has  been  gently  rising  since  leaving  Yakima,  is  confronted 
by  a  mountain  grade  of  116  feet  to  the  mile,  the  same  as  that  h.  which  the  Belt 
Range  and  the  Main  Range  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  are  crossed  m  Montana. 
With  the  a.scent  of  this  steeper  grade,  the  pathway  cut  for  the  railroad  through 
the  forest,  extending  for  many  miles  in  a  perfectly  straight  line  and  <  ,rming  an 
avenue  of  singular  beauty  and  stateltness,  is  exchanged  for  comp.Liiensive  and 
imposing  mountain  views,  which  become  more  and  more  extensive  with  the 
approach  of  the  train  to  the  eastern  portal  of  the  Stampede  Tunnel,  whence  the 
mountains  are  seen  ''orearing  themselves  grandly  against  the  sky,  and  forming 
a  striking  contrast  ..>  the  great  valley  that  lies  beneath,  clothed  with  one  hand- 
some garment  of  foliage. 

The  tunnel  tJirough  which  the  train  passes  from  the  east  to  the  west  slope 
is  9,850  feet  in  length,  and  is,  with  the  exception  of  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  in 
Massachusetts,  the  loiigest  in  America.  During  its  construction,  trains  crossed 
the  mountains  by  a  switch-back  line,  which  was  without  exception  the  most 
marvelous  piece  of  railroad  engineering  in  the  country.  With  such  wonderful 
skill  has  the  line  l)een  carried  over  heights  absolutely  insurmountable,  except 
by  the  switch-back  .system,  and  of  such  indescribable  magnificence  are  the 
views  from  the  summit,  that  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  summer  tourist  travel,  at  least, 


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a: 


(66) 


" 


WONDERLAND. 


57 


will  continue  to  be  carried  over  the  summit  of  the  pass,  rather  than  through 
the  more  direct  tunnel.  Emerging  from  the  west  portal,  the  traveler  will  get 
his«first  view  of  Tacoma,  the  Sovereign  Mountain.  With  the  possible  e.vcep- 
tion  of  Mount  St.  Elias,  this  magnificent  peak  has  no  rival  on  the  entire 
American  Continent.  Towering  to  a  height  of  14,444  feet  and  100  miles  in 
circumference,  it  is  not,  like  the  well-known  peaks  of  the  Rocky  Mountain 
Range,  merely  a  pinnacle  rising  a  few  hundred  feet  above  the  continuous  range  of 
which  it  forms  a  part,  and  to  be  surveyed  by  the  traveler  only  from  an  elevation 
that  practically  diminishes  its  height  by  two-fifths.  On  the  contrary,  it  rises  to 
its  perpendicular  height  of  nearly  three  miles,  from  the  very  shores  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  while  it  has  the  further  advantage  of  not  being  nerely  seamed  or  flecked 
with  snow,  but  robed  in  unbroken,  dazzling  whiteness  all  the  year  round. 

Descending  the  west  slope  by  the  gorges  of  Camp  and  Sunday  Creeks,  the 
^train  soon  reaches  the  narrow  valley  of  Green  River,  which  it  follows  for 
many  miles,  crossing  and  recrossing  the  river  no  fewer  than  ten  times.  The 
charming  scenery  of  this  romantic  defile  presents  a  delightful  contrast  to  the 
imposing  mountain  views  the  traveler  has  so  recently  gazed  upon.  The 
Green  River,  moreover,  is  a  famous  trout  stream.  Mr.  F.  A.  Carle,  writing  in 
the  St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press,  declares  it  to  be  the  prettiest  trout  stream  in 
America,  and  goes  on  to  tell,  with  the  enthusiasm  of  the  ardent  rodster  that  he 
is,  how  his  palm  tingled  for  the  pressure  of  the  butt  and  his  ear  pricked  itself 
for  the  rattle  of  the  reel,  at  the  first  glimpse  of  its  clear  pools  and  dancing 
ripples.  Certainly,  if  there  is  a  river  in  the  world  that  would  tempt  us  all  to  be- 
come anglers,  this  is  the  one,  for  it  needi  no  practised  eye  to  see,  even  from  the 
windows  of  the  flying  train,  that  the  clear  and  quiet  pools  that  alternate  with  its 
rapids  and  cascades,  are  fairly  alive  with  fish.  Beautifully  situated  in  this 
valley  is  the  sanitarium  of  Hot  Springs,  which  will  doubtless  become  a  popular 
resort  with  the  contemplated  increase  of  its  accommodations  for  visitors.  It 
may  be  added  in  this  connection  that  the  attractions  of  the  district  for  the 
sportsman  include  grouse,  pheasant,  mountain  goat  and  bear. 

Presenting  a  striking  contrast  to  the  emerald-hued  stream  whose  windings 
the  train  follows  for  so  great  a  distance,  is  the  White  River,  over  whose  milky, 
glacier-fed  waters  the  line  is  carried  twenty  miles  west  of  Eagle  Gorge,  and  five 
miles  east  of  South  Prairie.  Within  a  few  miles  of  this  point  are  some  very 
extensive  coal  mines,  to  which  branch  lines  have  been  built.  The  output  of 
the  mines  at  Carbonado  exceeds  700  tons  per  day,  most  of  which  is  shipped  to 
San  Francisco.     Wilkeson  produces  an  excellent  coking  coal. 

It  is  through  the  valley  of  the  Puyallup  River,  the  outflow  of  the  great  Puy- 
allup  Glacier,  that  the  line  now  runs.  This  is  the  hop  district,  to  which  refer- 
ence has  already  been  made.  Not  only  does  its  soil,  washed  down  from  the 
great  volcanic  formation  of  Mount  Tacoma,  yield,  year  after  year,  phenomenally 
large  crops  of  hops,  but  its  product  is  of  greater  strength,  is  freer  from  disease, 


(58) 


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WONDERLAND. 


59 


is  qleaner,  and  of  more  uniform  color  tlian  that  of  any  other  part  of  the  country. 
The  hop  picliing  is  done  ahnost  entirely  by  Indians,  who,  to  the  number  of 
4,000,  come  annually  during  the  season  from  points  as  far  distant  as  British 
Columbia.  A  recent  governor  oi  the  Territory  states  in  a  report  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior  that  they  excel  the  whites  in  their  ability  for  picking.  They 
come  up  the  river  in  their  canoes  towards  the  end  of  August,  and  their  arrival 
and  departure  are  events  of  no  little  interest  to  the  tourist  who  happens  to  be 
visiting  the  district  at  the  time. 

A  brief  stop  at  Meeker,  the  junction  of  the  Puget  Sound  Shore  R.  R.,  running 
to  Seattle,  a  rapid  run  through  the  Puyallup  Indi-.n  Reservation,  and  there  rises 
before  us  the  coming  great  seaport  of 

TACOMA, 
looking  down  from  the  series  of  terraces  on  which  it  is  built,  upon  Commence- 
ment Bay.  Tacoma  possesses  many  features  that  are  interesting  to  the  tourist. 
First,  we  have  its  geographical  position  at  the  head  of  that  remarkable  body 
of  water,  Puget  Sound — a  deep  inland  sea,  extending  nearly  200  miles  from  the 
ocean,  covering  an  area  of  2,000  square  miles,  and  with  shores  so  remarkably 
bold,  that  at  almost  any  point  in  its  1,600  miles  of  shore  line  a  ship's  side 
would  touch  the  shore  before  her  keel  would  touch  the  bottom.  This  is  not 
the  place  to  dwell  at  any  length  upon  the  commercial  advantages  enjoyed  by  the 
city,  but  the  excellence  of  its  harbor,  and  its  proximity  to  great  forests,  a  vast 
coal  field,  and  a  highly  productive  wheat  region,  can  not  be  allowed  altogether 
to  escape  notice.  One  of  the  greatest  wonders  in  the  whole  place  is,  as  has 
oftentimes  been  remarked,  its  great  hotel,  the  Tacoma,  one  of  the  most  beautifully 
situated,  admirably  designed,  and  altogether  home-like  hotels  in  the  country. 

Having  established  his  headquarters  here,  the  tourist  can  stroll  on  to  the 
eastern  piazza  and  look  out  upon  the  incomparable  scene  that  will  there  greet 
him  ;  mountains,  woodland  and  sea — the  matchless  Tacoma  rising  above  all,  its 
dazzling  robe  of  snow  catching  perchance  a  ruddy  glow  from  the  setting  sun. 
Sauntering  forth  into  the  city,  he  will  see  its  substantial  brick  business  blocks 
and  other  evidences  of  commercial  importance,  and  continuing  his  walk  to  the 
Episcopal  Seminary,  founded  by  Mr.  C.  B.  Wright,  of  Philadelphia,  in  memory 
of  a  deceased  daughter,  he  may  look  northwestward  to  the  Olympic  Mountains, 
whose  highest  summit.  Mount  Olympus,  stands  out  clearly  against  the  sky — 70 
miles  away.  Continuing  his  ramble,  though  with  that  in  prospect,  he  would 
have  done  well  first  of  all  to  have  engaged  a  carriage,  he  may  proceed  to  the 
original  town  of  Tacoma,  now  known  as  Old  Tacoma  or  Old  Town.  Here  he 
will  find  a  gigantic  saw  mill,  with  enormous  engines  of  1,400  horse  power, 
deriving  their  motive  power  entirely  from  the  consumption  of  sawdust  produced 
in  the  manufacturing  of  the  lumber.  He  will  see  a  fine  fleet  of  merchantmen 
waiting  to  convey  the  product  of  this  mill  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  In  tlie 
village  itself  he  will  see  a  little  church  with  the  oldest  tower  in  America,  the 
fact  being  that  the  edifice  has  been  built  with  one  of  its  corners  adjoining  the 
trunk  of  a  standing  fir  tree,  sawed  off  about  60  feet  above  the  ground. 


60 


WONDERLAND. 


Returning  to  the  city,  the  visitor  may  next  direct  his  steps  to  the  main 
wharf,  where  the  coast  and  ocean  steamships  visiting  the  port  embark  and 
disembark  their  passengers,  and  where  tea  ships  from  China  may  occasionally 
be  seen  unloading  their  valuable  cargoes.  Close  at  hand  are  the  coal  docks, 
from  which  an  average  of  nearly  i,ooo  tons  of  coal  is  shipped  daily  to  San 
Francisco  and  other  points  on  the  coast.  A  delightful  afternoon's  drive  will 
take  him  to  Puyallup,  affording  him  a  more  leisurely  view  of  the  Indian  Reser- 
vation and  the  hop  fields  thaa  he  obtained  from  the  windows  of  the  passing 
train.  A  still  more  enjoyable  carriage  excursion  is-  to  Steilacoom,  18  miles 
distant,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  was  situated  the  now  abandoned  military  post 
of  Fort  Steilacoom. 

But  what  of  the  climate  ?  queries  the  reader.  Is  it  such  as  to  Invite  anything 
more  than  a  brief  visit  to  this  evidently  interesting  locality  ?  In  answer  to  this  ' 
question,  it  is  scarcely  too  much  to  say  that  nowhere  in  the  United  States  is 
there  to  be  found  a  more  delightful  summer  climate  than  that  of  the  Puget 
Sound  country;  while  in  winter,  though  there  is  certainly  a  considerable  rain- 
fall, there  is  no  severe  cold,  and  the  English  traveler  who  should  find  himself  in 
Tacoma  between  November  and  March,  would  be  reminded  by  the  climate  of 
that  season  of  that  of  the  most  favored  section  of  his  own  sea-girt  home.  It  is 
almost  the  only  section  of  the  United  States,  north,  south,  east  or  west,  that  is 
entirely  exempt  from  spells  of  intense  heat  during  the  dog  days;  but  on  July  5^ 
1887,  when  a  veritable  simoom  swept  across  the  entire  country — when  the 
temperature  at  New  York  rose  to  99°,  at  St.  Louis  to  102°,  and  even  at 
Chicago,  with  its  boasted  cool  summer  temperature,  to  •96'^,  77°  was  the 
maximum  at  Tacoma.  Nor  is  this  comparison  an  exceptional  or  otherwise 
unfair  one,  for  the  maximum  summer  temperature  at  TaConia  in  1884  was  only 
86°,  in  1885  85°,  in  1886  84°,  and  in  1887  86°. 

Visitors  to  Tacoma  who,  when  in  Colorado,  have  accomplished  the  wonder- 
ful feat  of  ascending  Pike's  Peak  on  horseback,  sometimes  cast  wistful  glances 
in  the  direction  of  that  great  Colossus  whose  white  dome  stands  out  so  grandly 
against  the  clear  blue  sky,  and  think  what  a  magnificent  prospect  its  summit 
must  command.  They  wonder,  too,  if  it  is  possible  to  make  the  ascent,  and 
whether  they  can  get  up  and  down  in  a  day,  as  they  did  with  their  sisters,  their 
cousins  and  their  aunts  in  the  case  of  some  other  scarcely  less  lofty  peak.  Yes, 
dear  reader,  the  summit  is  not  absolutely  inaccessible,  although,  if  you  succeed 
in  reaching  it,  you  will  have  the  honor  of  being  one  of  not  more  than  half  a 
dozen  persons,  who  have  ever  scaled  its  well-guarded  heights.  You  may,  how- 
ever, if  you  can  afford  to  devote  a  week's  time  to  the  trip  and  a  fifty-dollar  bill, 
reach  a  point  at  which,  11,000  feet  above  the  tide  waters  that  lie  so  near,  you 
can  survey  its  virgin  snow  fields  and  the  great  glaciers  that  lie  embedded  in  its 
mighty  bosom;  can  look  northward  over  the  Sound  and  the  country  bordering 
upon  it,  spread  out  like  a  map  before  ^ou,  to  where  the  great  sugar-loaf  of 
Mount  Baker  pierces  the  sky  at  a  distance  of  125  miles  as  the  crow  flies,  and 


k 


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WONDERLAND. 


Gl 


sharp  and  clear  as  though  it  were  but  half  the  distance — all  this,  and  more,  you 
can  accomplish,  without  risk  to  life  or  limb,  and  with  no  sacrifice  of  personal 
comfort  that  is  not  immeasurably  outweighed  by  the  enjoyment  you  will  derive 
from  the  trip.  Nor  have  you  the  trouble  of  making  the  very  elaborate  prepa- 
rations necessary  to  such  a  trip.  Mr.  W.  D.  Tyler,  the  manager  of  the  Hotel 
Tacoma,  will  do  all  this  for  you  on  short  notice,  providing  horses,  camping  out-fits, 
experienced  guides  and  all  other  necessaries.  Among  those  who  have  already 
visited  the  mountain  and  its  great  glaciers,  is  Senator  Edmunds,  of  Vermont, 
who  declared,  on  his  return,  that  the  finest  peaks  he  saw  during  a  long  tour 
through  the  Alps,  fell  far  short  of  what  he  had  seen  on  Mount  Tacoma. 

Before  embarking  on  the  now  popular  trip  to  Alaska,  for  which  Tacoma 
is  the  starting  point,  our  typical  traveler  would  doubtless  like  to  visit  the  city 
of  Portland,  and  see  something  of  the  glories  of  the  Columbia  River.  The 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad  has  its  own  line  extending  southward  to  that  city.  It 
lies  to  some  extent  through  a  belt  of  forest,  but  it  also  intersects  a  fine  agricult- 
ural country  in  which  several  prosperous  little  towns  are  growing  up.  At 
Bucoda  there  are  coal  mines,  producing  upward  of  250  tons  of  coal  per  day, 
from  which  Portland  is  largely  supplied.  On  arrival  at  Kalama  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  Columbia,  the  train  is  carried  across  the  river  by  one  of  the  finest 
transfer  boats  in  the  wc'ld,  built  expressly  for  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  and  constructed  to  carry  thirty  cars  at  one  time.  From  Hunter's 
Point,  on  the  opposite  bank,  the  train  soon  reaches 

PORTLAND. 

Its  phenomenal  growth,  its  commanding  position  on  one  of  the  great  water- 
ways of  the  continent,  its  wealth,  commerce  and  enterprise,  render  this  city  one 
of  the  m'ost  attractive  on  the  American  Continent.  Contenting  ourselves  with 
touching  upon  its  commercial  importance,  only  so  far  as  it  is  of  interest  to  the 
ordinary  tourist,  it  may  be  said,  that,  although  100  miles  from  the  coast,  Port- 
land, like  London,  Rotterdam  and  Antwerp,  is  virtually  a  seaport,  and  that  load- 
ing at  its  wharves  or  riding  at  anchor  on  the  bright  bosom  of  the  river,  may  be 
seen,  not  only  river  craft  of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  but  ocean-going  vessels  of  3,000 
tons.  Its  chief  exports  are  wheat  (for  vi^hich  alone  a  fleet  of  over  100  first-class 
merchantmen  visit  the  port  annually),  wool,  hides,  hops  and  potatoes,  to  an  ag- 
gregate value,  for  the  year  1886-87,  of  $15,703,995.  The  actual  capital  em- 
ployed in  banking  and  jobbing  is  estimated  in  a  recent  official  publication  of 
the  State  of  Oregon  at  $75,000,000,  and  when  the  visitor  drives  past  the  hand- 
some business  blocks  that  line  its  principal  streets  and  the  beautiful  residences 
of  its  merchant  princes,  upward  of  twenty  of  whom  are  said  to  be  millionaire'", 
he  will  not  for  a  moment  doubt  that  Portland  is  a  city  not  only  of  commercial 
importance,  but  also  of  wealth  and  rf^finernent. 

Its  picturesque  surroundings  render  Portland  an  exceedingly  desirable  place 
of  residence.  From  the  summit  of  Robinson's  Hill,  a  view  which  it  is  no  extrava- 
gance to  pronounce  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world  is  to  be  obtained.     At  our 


S    2 


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68 


i 


feet  lies  the  city,  nestled  in  rich  foUage.  Stretching  away  for  many  miles  from 
where  their  waters  unite  in  one  common  flood  may  be  seen  the  Columbia  and 
Willamette  Rivers.  But  above  all,  bounded  only  i)y  the  limits  of  the  horizon, 
is  the  great  Cascade  range,  with  all  its  glittering  jieaks.  On  the  extreme  rigiit, 
78  miles  distant,  as  the  crow  flies,  is  seen  the  snowy  crown  of  Mount  Jefferso;i. 
Across  the  river,  51  miles  distant,  rises  the  shapely  Mount  Hood,  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  mountains  on  the  coast,  and  the  pride  and  glory  of  Oregon. 
To  the  northeast  stand  out  the  crests  of  MoiUit  Adams  and  Mount  St.  Helens, 
and  in  the  same  direction,  105  miles  away,  maybe  descried  the  great  Tacoma, 
the  monarch  of  the  range.  All  these  five  peaks  are  radiant  with  eternal  snow, 
and  it  may  well  be  imagined  that  the  uplifting  of  their  giant  forms  against  the 
clear  blue  sky  is  grand  in  the  extreme. 

vVt  Portland  the  tourist  travel  from  the  East  meets  that  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, the  latter,  however,  usually  including  a  large  eastern  element  that 
has  reached  the  Pacific  coast  by  one  of  the  southern  routes.  Tourists  coming 
northward  from  San  Francisco  have  the  choice  of  two  routes  and  two  modes  of 
travel.  They  may  either  take  one  of  the  fine  steamers  of  the  Oregon  Railway 
and  Navigation  Company,  sailing  every  fourth  day  and  performing  the  voyage 
in  from  sixty  to  seventy-two  hours;  or  they  may  travel  overland  by  the  Shasta 
route — a  line  that  traverses  some  of  the  most  fertile  plains  and  beautiful  valleys 
of  this  rich  State,  besides  passing  within  ,a  sliort  distance  of  Mount  Shasta. 
Through  trains  run  over  this  line  from  San  Francisco  (Oakland)  to  Portland. 
The  route  lies  through  Sacramento,  the  well-known  capital  of  California  ;  Red- 
ding, at  the  head  of  the  Sacramento  Valley;  Sisson,  where  the  traveler  has  a 
grand,  full-face  view  of  Mount  Shasta;  Edgewood,  where  the  same  great  mount- 
ain is  seen  in  profile;  over  the  Siskiyou  Mountains  to  Ashland;  through  the 
beautiful  and  highly  productive  Rogue  River  Valley;  through  the  Valley  of  the 
Umpqua  and  that  of  the  romantic  Azalea  River,  known  li)cally  by  the  utterly 
unromantic  name  of  Cow  Creek;  through  Eugene  City,  charmingly  situated  and 
finely  laid  out,  and  the  seat  of  the  State  University;  through  Salem,  the  State 
capital,  beautifully  situated  on  the  sloping  banks  of  the  river;  down  the  Willa- 
mette Valley,  fine  views  of  the  Cascade  Range  being  obtained  on  the  right; 
through  Oregon  City,  near  the  beauiiful  Falls  of  the  Willamette,  which  repre- 
sent a  force  of  over  a  million  horse  power,  and  so  on  to  Portland. 

There  are  two  delightful  river  excursions  that  should  be  made  by  every 
visitor  to  Portland.     One  is  up  the 

COLUMBIA    RIVER 

to  The  Dalles,  and  the  other  down  to  Astoria.  Neither  of  these  trips  need 
occupy  more  than  a  single  day  during  the  tourist  season,  although  longer  time 
may  with  advantage  be  devoted  to  them.  The  hours  of  sailing  and  other  par- 
ticulars being  advertised  from  day  to  day  in  the  Portland  papers,  all  that  is 
necessary  in  these  pages  is  to  set  forth  the  principal  scenic  attractions  of  the 
two  excursions  and  the  points  that  are  otherwise  of  interest.     The  trip  to  The 


64 


WONDERLAND. 


Dalles,  to  begin  with,  embraces  the  most  magnificent  scenery  on  the  entire  river. 
As  the  reader  need  scarcely  be  reminded,  Portland  is  not  on  the  Columbia 
River,  but  on  its  great  affluent,  the  Willamette.  It  is  situated  twelve  miles  above 
the  confluence  of  the  two  rivers,  and  there  is  consequently  a  short  stretch  that 
is  common  to  both  excursions. 

The  first  point  at  which  the  steamer  touches  after  entering  the  Columbia  and 
turning  eastward,  is  Vancouver,  on  the  north  bank,  a  pleasant  little  town  occupy- 
ing an  exceptionally  fine  situation,  and  surrounded  by  handsome  groves  of 
trees.  Fort  Vancouver  is  an  important  military  post,  being  the  headquarters  of 
the  Department  of  the  Columbia.  For  some  miles  above  this  point  the  tourist 
will  have  the  queenly  Mount  Hood  in  full  view.  Travelers  who  have  seen  only 
the  serrated  peaks  of  a  continuous  range  rising  at  the  most  9,000  feet  above  the 
point  of  observation,  cannot  possibly  have  any  idea  of  the  magnificent  appear- 
ance presented  by  the  great  volcanic  cones  of  the  Cascade  Range,  rising,  seme 
of  them,  with  wondrous  grace  of  outline  and  symmetry  of  forrri,  to  upsvards  of 
14,000  feet  above  the  ordinary  point  of  observation.  Mount  Hood  i  •>,  by  general 
consent,  the  most  beautiful  of  them  all,  and  the  matchless  grace  with  which  she 
wears  hi  -  glittering  crown  renders  her  a  fit  consort  for  the  kingly  Tacoma. 

Anotli'T  hour's  sail  brings  the  steamer  to  the  village  of  Washougal,  prettily 
situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  with  plegisant  pastures  on  either  side, 
and  a  forest  of  spruce  in  the  rear,  backed  by  a  lofty  hill.  Six  miles  further,  and 
we  reach  the  gateway  through  which  the  river  emerges  from  the  channel — so 
long,  and  yet  so  profound, — that  it  has  worn  for  itself,  in  countless  ages,  through 
the  great  Cascade  Range.  This  is  the  beginning  of  tr'.e  scenery  that  has  given 
the  Columbia  River  its  great  and  far-extending  reputation.  Passing  Table 
Rock  on  his  right  (the  left  bank  of  the  river)  and  Rooster  Rock,  a  peninsula 
which  attains  its  greatest  height  at  its  extreme  point,  in  the  shape  of  an 
immense  column  rising  vertically  to  a  height  of  several  hundred  feet,  the 
tourist's  now  thoroughly  aroused  interest  is  almost  immediately  afterward 
attracted  by  one  of  the  most  admirable  pieces  of  scenery  on  the  river.  This  is 
Cape  Horn,  an  immense  rocky  promontory  on  the  opposite  bank,  which  has 
withstood  the  action  of  the  river  when  more  yielding  materials  have  been  swept 
before  it.  It  is,  however,  but  one  of  many  bold  and  more  or  less  sharp  pro- 
jections that  stand  out  from  the  great  rounded  masses  of  those  overshadowing 
mountains  whose  varied  forms  astonish  and  delight  the  tourist  as  the  steamer 
continues  its  course. 

At  Warrendale,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  is  a  large  salmon  cannery. 
Here  the  mountains  are  grouped  with  magnificent  erlect,  their  precipitous  and, 
in  places,  perpendicular  sides,  relieved  by  the  sombre  foliage  of  giant  firs. 
Nearly  opposite  Warrendale  is  the  huge  form  .of  Castle  Rock,  rising  in  stern  and 
imposing  isolation  at  least  1,000  feet  above  the  river.  Continuing,  we  pass  a 
large  wooded  island.  The  bottom  lands  on  the  right  bank,  which  are  here  very 
extensive,  are  also  beautifully  wooded,  and  some  little  farming  land  adds  a 
pleasing  variety  to  the  scene.     In  this  vicinity  there  are  usually  to  be  seen  a 


WONDERLAND. 


65 


number  of  fish  wheels,  those  novel  contrivances  by  which  the  fish  are  literally 
scooped  up  out  of  the  water  in  shoals. 

Three  milcs'ahove  Warrendale  we  come  to  the  Cascade?,  where  the  river, 
which  has  elsewhere  the  appearance  of  a  placivi  lake,  changes  to  swift  rapids  and 
a  foamiiii;  torrent.  A  narrow  gauge  railway,  six  miles  long,  has  here  been 
constructed  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  and  passengers,  are  quickly  trans- 
ferred to  another  steamer  in  waiting  to  receive  them.  This  transfer  is  still 
known  by  tna  old  name  of  a  "portage,"  though  it  is  one  that  woukl  make  the 
early  traders  open  their  eyes  m  astonishment,  could  they  see  it.  So  far  from 
involving  trouble  or  inconvenience,  the  transfer  is  an  exceedingly  pleasant 
feature  of  the  trip.  For  some  little  distance  the  train  forsakes  the  river, 
traversing  a  narrow  and  sparsely  wooded  tract  of  land.  When  the  river  once 
more  comes  in  sight,  it  is  about  200  feet  beneath  us,  rushing  swiftly  along  and 
while  with  foam.  Anotl.sr  irstant  and  the  Cascades  are  in  view, — the  point  at 
which  the  great  river  tumultuously  forces  its  passage  through  a  rocky  and  con- 
tracted channel,  forming,  with  the  great  mountains  that  rise  on  either  side,  a 
scene  of  savage  grandeur,  for  which  no  adequate  comparison  can  be  found. 

Having  re-embarked,  the  tourist  will  notice  the  solid  rock  cuttings  through 
which  is  carried  the  line  of  the  Oregon  Railway  and  Navigation  Company, 
which  follows  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  and  whose  construction  along  the  face 
of  mountains  rising  precipitously  from  the  water's  edge,  was  one  of  no  ordinary 
difficulty.  Amid  ever  changing  scenery,  the  steamer  keeps  on  its  course.  At 
Chenoweth,  on  the  right  bank,  an  object  of  especial  interest  is  the  great  flume 
in  which  logs  and  manufactured  ties  are  sent  down  from  the  top  of  a  neighbor- 
ing mountain,  making  the  descent,  a  distance  of  over  half  a  mile,  in  from 
eighteen  to  twenty  seconds. 

Near  the  mouth  of  the  Klickitat,  the  steamer  passes  through  one  of  several 
sharply  cut  natural  gateways  in  a  rocky  barrier  that  here  stretches  across  the 
river,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more  it  is  alongside  the  wharf  at  the  good  old  town 
of  The  Dalles.  As  long  ago  as  1847,  this  place  was  an  important  fur-trading 
centre,  and  with  the  gradual  development  of  the  country  naturally  tributary  to 
it,  more  particularly  on  the  south  or  Oregon  side  of  the  river,  it  has  continued 
to  grow  in  importance.  Five  miles  above  the  city  are  the  great  Dalles  of  the 
Columbia,  where  the  river  is  literally  turned  on  edge,  so  narrow  and  profound 
being  the  chasm  through  which  it  flows  that  the  huge  proportions  of  its 
mighty  flood  are  absolutely  inverted. 

The  return  journey  to  Portland  may  be  made,  either  by  boat  or  by  any  of 
the  trains  of  the  Oregon  Railway  and  Navigation  Company.  The  latter  route 
not  only  affords  fine  views  of  the  scenery  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  but 
also  embraces  several  waterfalls  of  exceeding  beauty  that  come  down  from  the 
mountains  on  the  left  and  are  not  seen  to  advantage  from  the  river  itself. 
Among  them  is  the  lovely  Oneonta,  600  feet  of  silvery  ribbon  floating  from  a 
dizzy  height,  situated  near  the  thirty-fourth  mile-post  eastward  from  Portland. 
A  few  minutes  more,  and  the  train  comes  to  a  stand  opposite  the  still  more 


ONEONTA  GORGE,  COLUMBIA  HIVER,  OREGON 


(06) 


WONDERLAaD. 


67 


beautiful  Multnomah,  which  has  a  ckscent  of  no  less  than  820  feet.  At  the 
Pillars  of  Hercules,  two  gigantic  columns  of  rock,  one  on  either  side  of  the 
track,  the  railroad  leaves  the  river  and  runs  direct  to  Portland. 

If  the  scener)'  of  tlvj  1-ower  Columbia  is  njt  so  abrupt,  stern  or  impressive 
as  that  of  the  middle  river,  it  has  many  admirable  points  of  interest,  and  is  far 
from  being  tame  or  monotonous.  To  begin  with,  the  river  winds  considerably, 
for  so  great  a  body  of  water.  The  picturesque  hill  sides  are  covered  with  heavy 
f,rs;  islands,  wooded  and  exceedingly  pretty,  occur  at  intervals,  and  salmon 
canneries  in  great  numbers  lend  an  additional  element  of  novelty  to  the  trip. 

Until  within  the  last  three  years,  the  canning  industry  of  the  Columbia 
River  showed  a  steady  increase.  In  1883,  the  total  pack  was  no  less  than  629,- 
400  cases,  valued  at  $3,147,000.  Each  of  the  last  four  seasons,  however,  has 
shown  a  marked  falling-off  from  its  predecessor,  until  in  1887  the  catch 
amounted  to  only  356,000  cases,  valued  at  $2,124,000.  The  entire  export  since 
ihe  year  1866,  exclusive  of  the  salt-pack  in  barrels  and  of  the  large  local  con- 
sumption, amounts  to  371,116,000  pounds,  or  about  25,000,000  fish. 

Twenty  miles  or  so  from  its  mouth,  the  river  widens  out  into  a  broad  estuary, 
some  seven  miles  across.  Here  is  Tongue  Point,  a  bold  headland  projecting 
into  the  river  from  the  Oregon  shore.  It  is  on  a  beautiful  bay,  between  this 
point  and  Point  Adams,  that  there  stands  the  city  of  Astoria,  known  far  beyond 
the  limits  of  its  own  trade  and  commerce,  important  though  these  are.  With 
its  early  iiistory,  including  the  arrival  of  John  Jacob  Astor's  trading  ship  Ton- 
quin,  and  its  subsequent  Uritish  occupancy,  the  world  has  been  made  familiar 
by  Washington  Irving's  delightful  volume  "  Astoria",  and  it  is,  perhaps,  suf- 
ficient to  say  that  it  is  to-day  an  exceedingly  interesting  city  to  visit,  not  more 
on  account  of  its  being  the  oldest  Jiritish  settlement  in  the  Northwest  and  the 
central  figure  in  the  salmon  fishing  of  the  Columbia  River  than  for  the  novelty 
of  its  construction,  built,  as  it  is,  largely  on  piles,  after  the  manner  of  Amster- 
dam. Its  busy  wharves  and  abundant  shipping  proclaim  it  a  seaport  of  con- 
siderable importance,  requiring  only  a  railroad  or  uninterrupted  navigation  on 
the  middle  Columbia,  to  make  it  a  great  cit)'. 

Of  the  ten  thousand  excursionists  said  to  visit  Astoria  annually,  a  large 
majority  are  on  their  way  to  the  various  attractive  summer  resorts  which  have 
sprung  up  on  the  sea  coast,  both  on  the  Washington  and  Oregon  sides.  The 
entrance  to  the  river  is  guarded  on  the  north  by  Cape  Hancock,  formerly 
known  as  Cape  Disa])pointment,  a  bold  headland  commanding  a  magnificent 
view  of  the  ocean,  of  a  long  stretch  of  picturesque  shore  line  and  of  the 
Columbia  Ri  ,'er  valley. 

Between  Ilwaco — a  little  town  in  its  vicinity,  with  a  long  crescent-shaped 
beach  of  fine  white  sand  sloping  to  the  water  and  heavily  wooded  hills  in  the 
rear — and  Astoria,  a  steamer  runs  daily,  making  close  connection  with  those  to 
and  from  Portland.  During  the  summer  of  1887,  a  superbly  appointed 
steamer  performed  a  througli  service  between  Ilwaco  and  PortlaiJ,  The 
best   accommodations    are    obtainable,     not    in    the   village    itse'f,    which    is 


68 


WONDERLAND. 


really  situated  on  an  expansion  of  the  river,  just  within  the  two  great  head- 
lands before  mentioned,  but  at  Seaview,  on  the  coast,  from  which  point  car- 
riages cross  over  to  Ilwaco  to  meet  the  boats.  On  the  Oregon  shore,  south 
of  Cape  Adams,  are  Clatsop  Beach,  where  there  are  good  hotel  accommoda- 
tions and  excellent  hunting  and  fishing,  and  a  popular  resort  known  as 
Seaside,  possessing  a  multitude  of  attractions,  including  a  fine  ocean  'beach 
and  a  trout  creek.  If  the  tourist  be  unable  to  make  a  long  stay  at  any  of 
these  places,  he  ought  at  least  to  pay  them  a  brief  visit,  if  only  to  see  where 
the  great  river  discharges  itself  into  the  ocean,  at  the  rate  of  one  million 
gallons  per  second. 

Our  typical  traveler  has  now  practically  reached  both  the  northern  and 
western  limits  of  United  States  territory,  save  that  distant  province  of 

ALASKA, 

which  stretches  away  from  a  point  six  hundred  miles  north  of  the  dividing 
line  between  the  United  States  proper  and  the  British  possessions  to  the  shores 
of  the  Polar  Sea,  and  as  far  west  of  San  Francisco  as  the  coast  of  Maine  lies, 
to  the  east. 

There  is  so  much  of  romance  associated  with  the  idea  of  a  trip  to  this- 
far  and  mysterious  Northland,  so  much  that  appeals  to  the  imagination  of 
even  the  most  phlegmatic  and  sober-minded  among  us,  that  could  it  be  brought 
home  to  the  American  people,  with  the  force  and  vividness  of  some  great 
and  sudden  event  in  contemporary  history,  that  it  is  possible  to  make,  comfort- 
ably and  inexpensively,  within  the  narrow  compass  of  fourteen  days,  a  voyage 
extending  to  within  a  few  degrees  of  the  Arctic  circle  and  embracing  many  of 
the  greatest  wonders  of  tiiat  land  of  icebergs  and  glaciers,  not  all  the  ships  that 
sail  American  waters  would  be  adequate  for  the  conveyance  of  the  rush  of 
travel  that  would  at  once  ensue. 

So  erroneous,  however,  are  the  prevailing  ideas  with  regard  to  our  distant 
possession,  and  so  liable  to  become  the  foundations  of  utterly  wrong  inferences, 
are  even  those  actual  facts  regarding  the  country,  which  have,  by  slow  degrees, 
found  entrance  into  the  public  mind,  that  such  statements  as  that  a  temperature 
of  zero  is  rarely  ever  known  at  Sitka,  that  often  an  entire  winter  will  pass 
without  ice  being  formed  thicker  than  a  knife  blade,  and  that  there  is  not  a  day 
in  the  year  when  vessels  may  not  load  and  unload  in  the  harbor  of  the  capital 
city,  are  received  with  more  or  less  incredulity,  and  regarded  as  utterly  incon- 
sistent with  the  fact  that  perpetual  snow  is  found  within  three  thousand  feet  of 
the  sea-level,  and  that  rivers  of  ice,  1,000  feet  deep,  run  down  to  the  sea  from 
far  in  the  interior  of  the  country.  Visions,  tof),  are  conjured  up  of  cramped 
and  greasy  little  whale  boats,  making  tedious  voyages,  at  irregular  intervals^ 
through  rough  seas  that  in  so  great  a  distance  cannot  fail  to  be  tempestuous. 

That  large  and  well-appointed  steamships  are  engaged  in  a  regular  service^ 
and  that  the  long  voyage  they  make  is  never  productive  of  more  than  a  transient 
squeamishness,  however  susceptible  be  the  traveler,  are  almost  incredible  pieces. 


WONDERLAND. 


68 


of  news  to  those  who  hear  them  for  the  flrst  time;  and  yet,  while  such  erroneous 
notions  as  have  been  cited  are  current,  one  venturesome  traveler  after  another, 
to  the  surprise,  and  not  unfrequently  against  the  advice  and  remonstrance  of 
his  friends,  ventures  forth  to  put  the  claims  and  pretensions  of  the  railroad 
and  steamship  companies  lo  the  test,  and  return  to  be  the  hero  of  the  social 
circle  in  which  he  moves.  But  if  this  is  the  condition  of  things  to-day,  it  will 
be  but  a  short  time 'before  the  Alaska  excursion  will  no  longer  be  the  subject  of 
these  various  misconceptions,  but  will  have  taken  the  place  to  which  it  is 
entitled  in  popular  estimation. 

The  country  has  been  visited  during  the  las'  three  years  by  about  4,000 
tourists,  and  these,  representing,  as  they  did  nearly  every  State  in  the  Union, 
besides  many  foreign  countries,  and  including  in  their  number  United  States 
Senators,  members  of  the  House  ot  Representatives,  ex-Governors,  and  a 
distinguished  array  of  University  professors,  journalists,  and  worthy  represent- 
atives of  the  Bench,  the  Bar,  of  Science  and  of  Art,  will  be  the  most  efficient 
agents  Alaska  could  possibly  have  for  proclaiming,  far  and  wide,  its  incompar- 
able attraction?  and  the  facility  and  comfort  with  which  a  visit  to  it  can  be 
made. 

Tacoma,  as  already  stated,  is  the  starting  point  for  the  Alaska  excursion,  and  it 
is  there  that  our  represen.ative  company,  drawn  from  every  part  of  the  country 
and  even  from  abroad,  will  gather,  in  the  spacious  halls  of  its  great  hotel, 
within  twenty-four  hours  of  the  advertised  time  of  sailing.  During  several  past 
seasons  the  hour  of  sailing  has  been  4.00  a.  m.,  and  passengers  have  gone 
aboard  the  previous  evening,  to  look  out  in  the  early  morning  through  the 
windows  of  their  staterooms  upon  the  city  of  Seattle,  beautifully  situated  on  a 
series  of  terraces  rising  from  the  east  shore  of  Elliott  Bay. 

Seattle  is  the  oldest  American  city  on  the  Sound,  and  has  long  been  a  place 
of  considerable  importance.  The  enterprise  of  its  people  and  their  unbounded 
faith  in  its  future,  even  after  Tacoma  was  selected  as  the  western  terminus  of 
the  great  transcontinental  hue  over  which  the  traveler  has  journeyed,  neeu  no 
setting-forth  in  these  pages;  neither  do  the  great  and  varied  resources  of  the 
rich  country  tributary  to  it,  for  have  they  not  been  advertised  through  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  land  ?  On  the  outward  voyage,  the  tourist  has  to 
content  himself  with  surveying  the  city  from  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  deferring 
until  his  return  that  more  careful  inspection  of  which  the  city  and  its  environs 
are  so  will  worthy. 

A  delightful  three  hours'  sail  on  the  broad  waters  of  the  Sound,  the  Medit- 
erranean of  the  Northwest,  with  its  fir-lined  shores,  and  the  glorious,  snow- 
crowned  peaks  of  Tacoma  and  Baker  looming  up  against  the  sky  in  regal 
majesty,  and  the  steamer  runs  alongside  the  wharf  at  Port  Town.send,  the  port 
of  entry  for  the  Puget  Sound  district.  This  town,  not  inaptly  called  the  Gate 
City  of  the  Sound,  possesses  an  excellent  harbor,  with  both  good  anchorage  and 
adequate  shelter.  It  takes  but  a  short  time  for  compliance  with  the  requirements 
of   the   Customs   as   they  affect  an   outward-bound  steamer,  and  off   we   go 


T 


(701 


WONDERLAND. 


71 


again,  this  time  right  across  the  Strait  of  San  Juan  da  Fuca,  an  out'et  to  the 
open  sea.  As  the  kingly  form  of  Mount  Tacoma  recedes  into  the  distance, 
that  of  Mount  Baker  increases  in  distinctness,  while  we  have  also  a  fine  view  of 
the  Olympic  Mountains  on  our  left,  and  the  lofty  ranges  of  Vancouver  Island, 
for  whose  beautiful  capital  we  are  now  steering,  right  before  us. 

So  exceedingly  picturescjue  and  generally  attractive  is  the  appearance  pre- 
sented by  the  City  of  Victoria  to  an  approaching  steamer,  that  it  is  with  no 
little  satisfaction  that  the  traveler  learns  that  a  stop  of  several  hours  will  be 
made  in  its  harbor.  While  there  is  no  lack  of  American  cities  that  have  attained, 
witliin  a  period  corresponding  to  that  of  the  growth  of  Victoria,  far  greater 
magnitude  and  commercial  importance,  the  beautiful  capital  of  British  Columbia 
IS  fashioned  after  so  very  different  a  pattern,  and  presents,  if  not  to  old-world 
eyes,  at  least  to  most  Americans,  so  quaint  an  appearance,  with  Us  ivy-covered 
hou.ses,  its  admirable  roads  and  its  fortifications,  that  it  is  haru  to  believe  that 
it  is  really  the  young  city  it  is.  It  is.  however,  but  little  more  than  forty 
years  since  the  United  States  ship  Vincciuics,  entering  the  Sound  through  the 
Straits  of  Fuca,  found  what  is  now  its  site  a  most  forbidding  picture  of  sav- 
age life.  It  was  the  Caribou  mining  excitement  of  1868,  that  first  brought 
any  considerable  population — and  that  a  mere  transient  one — around  the  post 
established  here,  a  few  years  before,  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  In  1870, 
although  it  had  in  the  meantime  been  made  the  capital  of  the  Province, 
Victcjria  contained  but  3,270  inhabitants.  Its  present  population  is  about 
12,000,  and  there  is  probably  no  more  self-contained  city  of  its  size  in  the 
world,  fur  it  has  its  own  orchards  and  pastures,  forests  and  coal  fields,  while 
Its  manufactories  are  as  varied  as  those  of  many  cities  ten  times  its  size. 

It  is  not,  however,  with  these  things  that  the  transient  visitor  is  chiefly 
concerned,  nor  even  with  the  exceptionally  fine  climate  it  enjoys,  e.xcept  in  sc 
far  as  the  clear  skies  and  balmy  air  he  is  almost  certain  to  find  there  may  con- 
tribute to  the  sum  total  of  his  enjoyment.  It  is  rather  with  its  superb  situa- 
tion, with  the  sea  on  three  sides,  bordered  by  picturesque  shores  and  grassv 
hills.  These  will  assuredly  d(;light  him,  as  will  also — and  pcissibly  still  more— 
a  drive  through  its  glorious  woods,  with  their  lovely  undf.rgrowth  of  almost 
tropical  luxuriance,  to  the  neighboring  village  of  Esquimalt,  with  its  fine  harbor, 
its  immense  dry  dock,  its  naval  arsenal,  and  the  ships  of  the  British  Naval- 
S(iuadron  of  the  Pa'cific,  of  which  it  is  the  rendezvois.  Returning  to  the  city, 
he  may  stroll  into  one  of  its  old  curiosity  shops,  filled  with  a  tempting  disolay 
of  those  various  artistic  products  in  which  the  native  races  of  the  northwest 
coast  so  greatly  excel.  On  his  way  back  to  the  steamer,  he  will  not  fail  to  ad- 
mire the  striking  picture  presented  by  the  almost  land-locked  inner  harbor 
with  its  shipping,  its  Indian  canoes,  its  narrow  rocky  entrance,  and  its  white 
lighthouse,  standing  oiit  against  the  dark  foliage  of  the  adjacent  woods;  nor 
the  glistening  oeaks  of  the  Olympic  Mountains,  over  in  Washington  Territory, 
nor  yet  the  trim  and  tasteful,  but  unpretentious,  government  buildings  over- 
looking James  Bay. 


(IE 


72 


WONDERLAND. 


While,  among  the  thousands  of  tourists  who  visit  this  city  annually,  there 
may  be  one  or  two  who  will  give  it  a  bad  name,  because  they  have  had  to  pay 
for  some  trifling  article  a  few  cenis  more  than  they  had  been  accustomed  to, 
or,  rushing  into  the  Post-Office  just  as  the  mail  was  being  made  up  were  sur- 
prised to  learn  that  postage  stamps  were  obtainable  only  at  the  stationery  stores, 
ninety-nine  out  of  every  hundred  leave  this  beautiful  and  interesting  little  city 
with  regret,  and  carry  away  with  them  only  the  pleasantest  recollections  of  their 
brief  visit. 

When  the  steamer  once  more  gets  under  way,  we  feel  as  though  our  voyage 
had  at  last  begun  in  good  earnest,  and  maps,  guide  books  and  glasses  make  their 
appearance,  in  numbers  almost  sufficient  to  start  a  bookseller  and  optician  in 
business.  One  will  have  provided  himself  with  "Alaska  and  its  Resources,"  by 
Mr.  W.  H.  Dall,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  a  work  which,  although  twenty 
years  old  or  nearly,  is  still  the  only  comprehensive  and  trustworthy  description 
of  the  Territory,  as  a  whole;  another  will  have  the  Alaska  volume  of  Mr.  H.  H. 
Bancroft's  "History  of  the  Pacific  States";  while  a  third  will  produce  from  his 
baggage  Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson  on  "  Alaska  and  Missions",  an  excellent  work 
founded  on  extensive  observation  during  several  years'  residence,  and  dealing 
especially  with  the  labors  of  the  various  Christian  missionaries  ia  this  great 
field.  Others,  desirous  of  seeing  the  impression  produced  upon  transient  visit- 
ors like  themselves,  will  be  conning  the  pages  of  Miss  Scidmore's  "  Journeys 
in  Alaska"  or  those  of  "Our  New  Alaska,"  by  Mr.  Chas.  Hallock;  while 
probably  some  English  tourist,  with  ".he  love  of  mountain  climbing  and  advent- 
ure characteristic  of  his  race,  will  follow  the  wanderings  of  Mr.  Whymper  or 
Mr.  Seton-Karr,  in  their  respective  works  "  Travels  in  Alaska "  and  "  The 
Shores  and  Alps  of  Alaska." 

Before  reaching  any  broad  expanse  of  open  water,  the  steamer  passes  through 
a  picturesque  archipelago,  which  faintly  foreshadows  in  beauty  the  island- 
studded  waters  through  which  will  he  so  large  a  part  of  our  voj^age.  A  momen- 
tary interest  is  here  excited  by  our  passing  on  the  right  the  island  of  San  Juan, 
the  possession  of  which,  as  every  reader  will  remember,  was  awarded  to  the 
United  States,  in  1872,  by  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  then  King  of  Prussia,  to 
whom  had  been  referred  the  interpretation  of  a  treaty  of  somewhat  ambiguous 
phraseology. 

Almost  uniformly  smooth  as  is  tne  navigation  of  the  Inland  Passage,  the 
arrival  and  departure  of  the  steamer  at  or  from  particular  points  cannot  be  pre- 
dicted many  hours  in  advance,  so  much  depends  upon  the  state  of  the  tide. 
Even  in  this  high  latitude  night  comes  at  last,  and  the  first  question  in  the 
morning,  from  almost  every  passenger,  is  Where  are  we  now?  If,  therefore, 
it  were  possible  to  relieve  the  ship's  officers  of  the  endless  string  of  questions 
with  which  they  are  plied,  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  the  steamer  at  particular 
times,  it  would  be  a  grateful  task  to  do  so,  but  all  that  is  practicable  is  to  point 
out  the  principal  landmarks  and  the  chief  points  of  interest,  so  that  these  more 
or  less  troublesome  inquiries  may  be  reduced  to  a  minimum. 


■ 


WONDERLAND. 


78 


For  fully  a  day  and  a  half  after  leaving  Victoria,  we  have  on  our  left  the 
;jreat  island  of  Vancouver,  300  miles  in  length,  and  by  far  the  largest  island  on 
the  Pacific  Coast.  Having  passed  through  the  archipelago,  to  which  reference 
has  already  been  made,  and  which  occupies  the  extreme  southern  portion  of 
the  Strait,  or  Gulf,  of  Georgia,  as  it  is  variously  designated,  we  conie  to  the 
greatest  expanse  of  water  to  be  met  with  on  our  entire  trip,  save  those  occa- 
sional points  where  we  are  able,  for  a  brief  period,  to  look  out  upon  the  open 
sea.  Before  long,  however,  we  have  the  large  island  of  Taxada  on  our  right. 
This  island,  which  is  largely  in  the  hands  of  speculators,  among  whom  is  at 
least  one  American  company,  contains  an  immense  deposit  of  iron  ore,  rendered 
especially  valuable  by  its  exceptionally  bw  percentage  of  phosphorus. 

Another  unbroken  expanse  of  water,  and  we  enter  the  first  of  those. wonder- 
ful river-like  channels  through  whose  picturesque  sinuosities- three-fourths  of 
our  voyage  will  lie.  This  is  Discovery  Passage.  It  lies  between  the  western 
side  of  Valdes  Island  and  the  northeastern  shore  of  Vancouver  Island.  The 
southern  extremity  of  the  former  island,  known  as  Cape  Mudge,  is  a  peculiar 
headland  about  250  feet  high,  flat  and  wooded  on  its  summit.  As  the  steamer 
approaches  this  point,  every  passenger  on  deck  expects  it  to  continue  on  its 
course  through  the  broad  open  waters  to  the  right.  Instead  of  that,  however, 
it  leaves  the  headland  to  the  right,  and  enters  the  narrow  passage,  not  more 
than  a  mile  in  breadth,  lying  to  the  west  of  it.  For  23  miles  it  follows  this 
picturesque  waterway,  overshadowed  by  noble  mountains  rising  from  both 
shores. 

From  an  expansion  of  the  Passage,  caused  by  an  indentation  on  the  Van- 
couver shore,  known  as  Menzies  Bay,  we  pass  into  the  famous  Seymour  Nar- 
rows, a  gorge  two  miles  in  length,  and  less  than  one-half  mile  in  breadth. 
Through  this  contracted  channel,  the  tides  rush  with  great  velocity,  sometimes 
running  nine  knots  an  hour.  The  steamer  is  usually  timed  to  reach  this  point 
at  low  water,  but  it  rarely  happens  that  the  waters  are  not  seen  in  a  state  of  tu- 
mult sufficient  to  constitute  their  passage  a  decidedly  interesting  feature  of  the 
voyage. 

At  Chatham  Point,  a  low  rocky  promontory  on  the  Vancouver  Island  shore, 
we  take  the  more  westerly  of  two  apparently  practicable  channels,  and  enter 
Johnstone  Strait,  55  miles  in  length.  For  some  distance,  this  channel  is  very 
similar  to  Discovery  Passage,  though  it  subsequently  broadens  out  to  a  width  of 
from  one  and  one-half  to  three  miles.  The  magnificent  range  that  rises  from 
the  Vancouver  Island  shore  is  the  Prince  of  Wales  range,  the  highest  paint  of 
which,  Mount  Albert  Edward,  rises  6,968  feet  above  the  waterway  that  washes 
its  base.  It  is  never  entirely  free  from  snow,  traces  of  which,  indeed,  extend 
down  the  dark  sides  of  the  mountain  to  within  2.000  or  3,000  feet  of  the  sea 
level.  A  noble  snow-covered  peak  is  about  this  time  a  prominent  object  on  the 
right,  while  nearer  at  hand  many  beautiful  inlets  engage  the  traveler's  atten- 
tion. For  some  miles  northward  from  the  entrance  to  Johnstone  Strait,  the 
land  on  the  right  is  Thurlow  Island.     This  is  succeeded  by  Hard  wick  Island, 


.74 


WONDERLAND. 


\ 


from  which  it  is  separated  by  Chancellor  Channel,  connecting  with  the  broad 
waterway  which  seemed  to  the  traveler  the  more  likely  course  for  the  steamer 
to  take  when,  a  few  hours  before,  she  entered  the  narrow  Discovery  Passage. 
Another  channel  intervening,  and  we  have  the  mainland  of  British  Columbia 
forming  the  eastern  shore  of  the  strait.  It  is  much  indented  by  bays  and  inlets, 
and  many  fine  lofty  peaks  tower  up  beyond  it,  while  on  the  opposite  or 
Vancouver  Island  shore.  Mount  Palmerston  presents  an  exceedingly  fine  appear- 
ance. The  islands  which  have  been  mentioned  are  only  those  larger  bodies  of 
land  separated  from  the  mainland  by  narrow  channels,  avid  ""or  the  most  part  so 
mountainous  that  they  would  be  mistaken  for  the  mainland  in  the  absence  of 
any  statement  to  the  contrary.  The  thousands  of  islands,  from  mere  rocky 
points,  a  few  square  feet  in  extent,  to  those  larger  summits  of  submerged 
mountains  which  may  sometime  become  the  sites  of  delightful  summer  homes, 
it  is  impossible  to  particularize;  and  it  need  only  be  said  that  in  their  multitude 
and  variety — each  having  some  beauty  peculiar  to  itself — they  form,  with  the 
bold  shores  of  the  strait  and  the  distant  snow-covered  peaks,  a  series  of  pictures 
of  which  the  traveler  never  wearies  and  which  he  can  never  forget. 

The  northern  entrance  to  Johnstone  Strait  is  occupied  by  a  beautiful  archi- 
pelago, the  two  largest  islands  of  v/hich  are  Hanson  Island  and  Cormorant 
Island.  On  the  latter,  between  which  and  Vancouver  Island  we  continue  our 
course  northwest  through  Broughton-  Strait,  is  Alert  Bay,  with  a  large  salmon 
cannery,  an  Indian  village  and  a  Mission.  The  remarkable  conical  peak  long 
visible  on  Vancouver  Island  is  Mount  Holdsworth. 

From  Broughton  Strait,  fifteen  miles  in  length,  we  suddenly  emerge  into  che 
broad  Queen  Charlotte  Sound,  a  magnificent  expanse  of  water,  twelve  to  eighteen 
m:les  from  shore  to  shore.  The  extensive  views  here  obtained  present  a  striking 
contrast  to  the  scenery  of  the  narrow  passage  through  which  for  some  hours 
the  steamer's  course  has  lain.  An  interesting  point  on  the  west  shore  is  Fort 
Rupert,  a  post  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  with  a  large  Indian  village 
adjoining  it.  Continuing  on  its  course,  within  a  short  distance  of  the  Van- 
couver Island  shore,  our  good  ship  next  enters  Goletas  Channel,  where  we  have 
Galiano  and  Hope  Islands,  together  with  some  hundreds  of  smaller  islands,  on 
our  right,  and  picturesque  mountains  of  considerable  elevation  on  both  right 
and  left. 

We  have  now  to  bid  farewell  to  the  great  Vancouver  Island,  whose  most 
northerly  point.  Cape  Commerell,  we  leave  to  the  left.  Emerging  from  the 
channel,  which  affords  us,  at  its  western  entrance,  an  exceedingly  fine  retro- 
spective view  in  which  Mount  Lemon  is  a  prominent  object,  we  look  westward 
over  the  broad  expanse  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Here,  if  anywhere  on  our  entire 
voyage,  we  are  sensible,  for  a  short  time,  of  a  gentle  swell.  Those,  however,  whom 
the  mere  mention  of  the  open  sea  would  be  sufficient  to  drive  to  the  seclusion  of 
their  cabins,  may  take  comfort  in  the  assurance  that  the  steamer  has  scarcely 
begun  to  yield  to  its  influence  when  it  passes  under  the  lee  of  the  great  Cal- 
vert Island,  and  enters  the  land-locked  channel  of  Fitzhugh  Sound.     Here,  again, 


WOXDF.Rf.AND. 


75- 


«  we  have  superb  scenery  on  either  side,  the  mountains  of  Calvert  Island  cul- 
minatinjj;  in  an  exceedingly  sharp  peak,  known  as  Mount  Buxton  (3,430  feet), 
the  retrospective  view  of  which  is  very  fine.  The  scenery  on  the  mainlaml 
and  the  islands  on  our  right  is  similar  in  character.  The  soundings  here 
indicate  very  deep  water,  although  there  is  excellent  anchorage  in  many  of 
those  beautiful  bays  which  are  formed  by  the  indented  shores.  As  we  approach 
the  northern  extremity  of  the  Sound,  where  Burke  Canal  opens  out  on  the  right 
(opposite  the  great  Hunter  Island,  the  most  northerly  of  the  three  large  islands 
which,  with  a  number  of  smaller  ones,  form  the  west  sh:jre  of  the  Sound),  the 
scenery  increases  in  grandeur,  the  lesser  and  nearer  hills  being  clothed  to 
their  summits  with  coniferous  trees,  while  the  more  distant  ones,  overtopping 
them,  are  covered  with  snow.  Here  a  surprise  awaits  the  traveler  in  the  sudden 
turning-about  of  the  steamer,  whose  helm  is  put  hard-a-starboard  with  the 
result  that,  instead  of  continuing  its  course  through  the  broad  and  exceed- 
ingly attractive  Fisher  Channel,  it  turns  sharply  to  the  left,  through  the  nar- 
row Lama  Passage,  which,  midway  between  it :  two  extremities,  itself  makes 
a  sharp  turn  northward. 

On  the  shore  of  Campbell  Island,  we  pass  the  trim  native  village  of  Bella 
Bella,  with  its  little  church.  On  the  opposite  shore  are  a  number  of  graves, 
some  of  them  with  totem  poles,  one  of  the  domestic  peculiarities  of  this  region, 
of  which  more  will  be  said  in  its  proper  place. 

The  northern  entrance  to  Lama  Passage,  through  which  we  emerge  into  the 
broad  Seaforth  Channel,  with  its  multitude  of  picturesque  islands,  is  extremely 
narrow,  but  entirely  free  from  concealed  dangers.  Just  before  turning  west- 
ward into  Seaforth  Channel,  we  have  the  finest  scenery  we  have  so  far  gazed 
upon,  the  grouping  of  the  mountains  being  grand  in  the  extreme.  If  it  be 
afternoon,  its  exquisite  beauty  will  be  greatly  enhanced  by  atmospheric  effects 
utterly  unlike  anything  that  ninety-nine  out  of  every  hundred  of  our  fellow 
passengers  have  ever  before  seen.  The  sunset,  too,  is  almost  certain  to  be  of 
such  indescribable  grandeur  that  pen  and  brush  will  be  thrown  down  by  the 
despairing  author  and  artist,  who  will  alike  resign  themselves  to  the  ravishing 
beauty  and  splendor  of  the  scene. 

Another  turn  in  our  remarkably  devious  course,  and  we  are  steaming  north- 
ward through  Milbank  Sound,  through  whose  broad  entrance  we  look  out  to- 
the  open  sea.  Islands  succeed  islands,  and  mountains,  mountains;  and  the 
traveler  is  almost  as  much  imjM-essed  with  the  mere  geographical  features  of  this 
extraordinary  region  as  with  the  beauty  of  its  scenery.  Here  we  see,  for  the 
first  time,  glacier  paths  on  the  mountain  sides,  the  lofty  pyramidal  Stripe 
Mountain,  so  called  from  the  white  streak  on  its  southern  flank,  being  an 
especially  prominent  object.  Leaving  Point  Jorkins,  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  great  Princess  Royal  Island,  on  our  left,  we  continue  our  course  almost 
directly  northward  through  the  long  and  narrow  Finlayson  Channel,  some  24  miles 
long,  with  an  average  width  of  two  miles.  The  bold  shores  of  this  fine  channel 
"are  densely  wooded  to  a  height  of  1,500  feet  or  more;  precipitous  peaks,  rising 


7i3 


WONDER  [.AND. 


to  a  height  of  nearly  3,000  feet,  occurring  at  intervals,  with  still  higher  mount- 
ains, whose  dark  masses  are  relieved  with  patches  of  snow,  rising  behind  them. 
Waterfalls  of  remarkable  height  here  add  a  new  element  of  beauty  to  the  incom- 
parable  series  of  pictures  revealed  to  us  with  the  continued  progress  of  the 
steamer.  A  contraction  of  the  channel  known,  for  twenty  miles,  by  the  name 
of  Graham  Reach,  and,  for  the  next  ten  miles,  as  Fraser  Reach,  brings  us  to 
the  north  point  of  Princess  Royal  Island,  where  we  turn  westward  through 
McKay  Reach  into  Wright  Sound.  There  is  nothing  here  calling  for  special 
notice,  although  it  must  not  be  understood  that  ii.3  scenery  is,  on  that  account, 
any  the  less  picturesque.  It  is  worth  while  studying  these  successive  channels 
upon  the  charts  of  the  United  States  "Pacific  Coast  Pilot,"  so  singular  is  the 
appearance  they  present.  Grenville  Channel,  which  we  enter  from  Wright 
Sound  and  which  lies  between  Pitt  Island  and  the  mainland,  is,  for  fully  50 
miles,  as  straight  as  any  canal  in  the  world.  Its  scenery,  on  both  sides,  is 
exceptionally  fine,  the  mountains  grouping  themselves  with  magnificent  effect. 
Those  near  at  hand  are  cloth  with  dark  foliage,  others  more  remote  assume 
a  purple  hue,  while  many  are  seen  to  be  seamed  with  the  paths  of  glaciers  and 
avalanches,  the  higher  peaks  being  in  every  case  covered  with  snow.  Many 
beautiful  islands  start  up  in  mid-channel,  uniformly  covered  with  a  dense 
growth  of  fir,  to  the  very  edge  of  the  water.  The  channel,  too,  is,  at  places, 
exceedingly  narrow,  and  the  precipitous  mountains  which  rise  from  its  shores 
attain  a  height  varying  from  1,500  to  3,500  feet.  From  an  expansion  of  this 
channel,  we  pass  through  a  narrow  strait  known  as  Arthur  Passage,  which  has 
Kennedy  Island  on  the  right,  and  the  large  Porcher  Island,  with  many  fine 
mountain  peaks,  on  the  left. 

If  the  frequent  recurrence  of  geographical  designations  renders  this  brief 
description  of  the  Alaska  trip  less  interesting  to  the  general  reader  than  it 
otherwise  would  be,  there  will  be  a  counterbalancing  advantage  gained  by  the 
actual  traveler,  who  will  find  none  of  the  more  entertaining  works  that  have 
been  written  on  the  subject  of  any  great  use  to  him  as  practical  guide  books. 

Continuing  our  course,  we  emerge  from  the  channel  last  named  into  the 
great  Chatham  Sound,  a  broad  expanse  of  water  from  whose  distant  shores  rise 
imposing  mountains.  The  eastern  shore  is  here  formed  by  the  remarkable 
Chim-sy-an  Peninsula,  which,  though  forty  miles  long  and  from  five  to  fifteen 
miles  in  breadth,  is  connected  with  the  mainland  only  by  a  narrow  isthmus. 

Continuing  our  course  northward  through  the  broad  Chatham  Sound,  with 
Dundas  Island  on  our  left  and  a  range  of  snowy  mountains,  presenting  a  mag- 
nificent appearance,  on  our  right  (Mount  McNeill,  the  highest  of  its  peaks, 
rising  4,300  feet  above  the  sea,  and  having  the  appearance  of  being  much 
higher  by  reason  of  our  seeing  its  entire  height  from  the  ocean  level),  we  soon 
cross,  in  latitude  54°  40',  the  boundary  line  between  British  Columbia  and  the 
United  States  Territory  of  Alaska.  Here,  we  shall  do  well  to  acquaint  our- 
selves with  such  facts  relative  to  the  extent,  physical  conditions,  ethnological 
features  and  natural  resources  of  the  "district"  (to  give  it  the  ill-chosen  name 


■ 


WONDERLAyO 


77 


by  which  it  is  known  to  the  United  States  Government)  as  will,  at  least,  give  us 
a  (yjmprehensivc  and,  in  the  main,  correct  idea  of  the  great  territory  we  are 
about  to  visit. 

As  to  its  history,  little  need  be  said,  for  its  Rus  ian  occupation  is  of  no 
practical  concern  to  us,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  every  reader  will  remenii)er 
the  circumstances  of  its  transfer  to  the  United  States  Government  in  1868, 
for  the  sum  of  $7,200,000.  Its  extent  is  probably  not  nearly  so  well  known, 
or,  if  the  numerals  which  represent  it  luive  been  learned  by  heart,  it  is 
still  doubtful  whether  they  have  cremated  in  tin-  ni'nd  any  adecjuate  con- 
ception of  li,e  vast  extent  of  the  pr>.vince.  Availinjjf  ourselves,  therefore,  of 
the  figures  and  comparisons  that  we  (Ind  ready  to  our  hanil  in  the  Reports  of 
Governor  Swineford  and  Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson,  we  may  remark  that  its  extreme 
breadth  from  north  to  south  is  1,400  miles,  or  as  far  as  from  Mauie  to  Florida, 
and  that  from  its  eastern  boundary  to  the  western  end  of  the  Aleutian  Islands 
is  2,200  miles;  so  that  the  Governor,  sitting  \\\  his  offii  at  Siika,  is  very  little 
farther  from  Eastport,  Me.,  than  from  the  extreme  wc-tern  limit  of  his  own 
jurisdiction,  measuring,  of  course,  in  a  straight  line.  Its  coast  line  of  18,211 
miles  is  nearly  twice  as  great  as  the  combined  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coist  lines  of 
the  United  States  proper,  and  its  most  westerly  point  extends  beyond  the  most 
easterly  point  of  Asia  a  distance  of  nearly  1,000  miles.  In  actual  extent  it  is 
as  large  as  all  the  New  England  and  Middle  State;^,  together  with  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Michigan,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  combmed,  or  as  all 
that  portion  of  the  United  States  lyini;  east  of  the  Mississippi  River  and  north 
of  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas.  A  country  so  vast  as  this  must  be  a  poor  one 
indeed,  if  the  paltry  $7,200,000  paid  for  it  does  not  turn  out  to  bear  little  more 
than  the  same  p.oportioa  to  its  value  that  was  borne  by  the  pepper-corn 
rent  in  so  many  old  English  legal  conveyances  to  the  valuable  estates  for 
whose  holding  it  was  the  nominal  annual  consideration. 

With  regard  to  its  physical  conditions,  it  is  sufficient  for  our  present  pur 
pose  to  say  that  a  large  part  df  it  is  still  passing  through  the  glacial  period; 
that  it  contains  in  Mount  St.  Eliasthe  highest  mountain  on  the  North  American 
Continent,  and  in  Mount  Cook,  Mount  Crillon  and  Mount  Fairweather  peaks 
exceeded  in  height  only  by  Mount  Popocatapetl  and  Mount  Orizaba,  in 
Mexico;  that  its  great  river,  the  Yukon,  computed  to  be  not  less  than  3,000 
miles  long,  is  navigable  for  a  distance  of  2,000  miles,  is  from  one  mile  to 
five  miles  in  breadth  for  no  less  than  1,000  miles  of  its  course,  and  is  seventy 
miles  wide  across  its  five  mouths  and  the  intervening  deltas;  and  that,  while 
the  climate  of  the  interior  is  Arctic  in  the  severity  of  its  winter  and  tropical  in 
the  heat  of  its  summer,  that  of  the  immense  southern  coast,  with  its  thousands 
of  islands,  is  one  of  the  most  equable  in  the  world,  by  reason  of  the  Kuro-siwo, 
or  Japan  current,  a  thermal  stream  which  renders  the  entire  North  Pacific 
Coast,  even  in  this  high  latitude,  warm  and  humid.  Only  four  times  in  forty- 
five  years  has  the  temperature  at  Sitka  fallen  to  zero,  while  only  seven  summers 
in  that  same  period  have  been  marked  by  a  higher  temperature  than  80^  Fah. 


I 


(78) 


WONDERLAiYD. 


70 


.  < 


\ 


The  inllucnce  of  moisture  in  regulating  tcmpirature  is  ioo  well  known  to  call 
for  any  further  remarks  under  tliis  head,  and  the  facts  above  given  are  stated 
only  that  they  may  help  to  dispel  from  the  non-scientific  mind  the  erroneous 
notions  relative  to  the  climate  of  this  great  territory,  that  so  largely  prevail. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Tinneh,  a  tribe  which  has  forced  its  way  to  the 
coast  from  the  interior,  the  natives  of  Alaska  are  not  Jiidiaiis.  Their  traditions, 
maimers,  customs  and  other  race  characteristics  prove  them  to  belong  to  the 
Mongolian  branch  of  the  great  human  family.  IJetween  their  racial  and  tribal  des- 
ignations, the  visitor,  who  h.ears  of  Thlinkets,  Hydahs,  Ch'lkats,  Auks,  Sitkans 
and  many  others,  is  liable  to  get  somewhat  confused.  It  may.  therefore,  be  not 
only  interesting  but  otherwise  of  advantage  to  him  to  know  beforehand  that  the 
native  population  >.{  the  Territory,  e.stimated  to  number  31,240  at  the  United 
States  censur,  ot  1880,  is  divided  into  five  races:  (r)  tlie  Innuit,  or  Esciuimaux, 
numbering  i7.6f7,  who  occupy  almost  the  entire  coast  line  of  the  mainland;  (j) 
the  Aleuts,  numbering  2,145,  inhabiting  the  Aleutian  I-lands;  (3)  the  Tinneh, 
numbering  3,927,  found  chiefly  in  the  Yukon  district,  on  the  Copper  River  and 
at  Cook's  Inlet,  and  the  only  race  not  supposed  to  be  of  common  origin  with 
the  rest;  (4)  the  Thlinkets,  numbering  6,763,  occupying  almo.-^t  exclusively  that 
Southeastern  division  which  the  touris.t  is  on  his  way  to  visit;  and  (5)  the  Hydahs, 
788  in  number,  on  the  southern  half  of  Prince  of  Wales  Island.  The  various  tribes 
with  which  the  traveler  will  come  into  contact  are  of  the  Thlinket  race — des- 
cribed by  Dr.  Jackson  as  "a  hardy,  self-reliant,  industrious,  self-supporting,  well- 
to-do,  warlike,  superstitious  race,  whose  very  name  is  a  terror  to  the  civilized 
Aleuts  to  tliL;  west,  as  well  as  to  the  savage  Tinneh  to  tiie  north  of  them." 

Deferring  statements  as  to  their  tribal  peculiarities  to  a  place  at  which  they 
can  be  set  forth  with  greater  advantage,  let  us  now  glance  at  the  resources  of 
the  country,  so  far,  at  least,  as  they  have  been  brought  to  light.  These  com- 
prise: (i)  its  world-renowned  seal  fisheries;  (2)  its  salmon,  cod,  whale  and  her- 
ring fisheries;  (3)  its  extensive  deposits  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  iron,  coal  and 
other  minerals;  and  (4)  its  vast  forests. 

The  seal-fur  fisheries,  as  is  well-known,  are  leased  for  twenty  years,  from 
1870,  to  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  which  pays  the  Government  an  annual 
rental  of  $55,000  for  the  islands,  and  a  royalty  of  $2.62i-eacn  on  the  100,000  seal 
skins  allowed  to  be  taken  annually.  From  this  one  source  alone,  therefore,  the 
Government  receives  an  annua',  sum  of  $317,500,  or  more  than  4^  per  cl'nt,  per 
annum  on  the  amount  paid  to  the  Russian  Government  for  the  Territory.  It 
may  be  mentioned  in  this  connection,  but  only  in  view  of  its  coming  from  an 
official  source,  that  the  Governor  of  the  Territory,  in  his  last  two  annual  Reports 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  contends  that  this  great  monopoly  is  wholly  inimi- 
cal to  the  true  interests  of  the  country.  His  Excellency  brings,  many  grave 
charges  against  the  Company,  which  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  here,  and  which 
are  adverted  to,  only  that  an  enlightened  public  sentiment  may  be  created,  and 
the  hands  of  the  Federal  Government  strengthened  in  dealing  with  the  corpo- 
ration which  has  the  control  of  so  important  a  part  if  the  wealth  of  the  Territory. 


;  I 


/^' 


80 


WONDERLAND. 


The  salmon,  cod  npd  whale  fisheries  of  Alaska  are  of  far  greater  importance 
than  is  generally  kno  rn,  their  yield,  during  1887,  being  valued  at  $3,000,000, 
exclusive  of  the  various  ,^roducts  of  the  herring  fisheries,  which  are  both  exten- 
sive and  valuable.  The  m^''St  important  point  in  the  operations  of  this  last- 
named  industry  is  Killisnoo,  on  Admiralty  Island,  where  as  many  as  138,000 
barrels  of  oil  have  been  put  up  in  a  single  month. 

Men  are  so  liable  to  be  carried  away  by  excitement  upon  ."inding  even  the 
smallest  traces  of  the  precious  metals,  that  the  outside  world,  hearing  or  read- 
ing of  their  discoveries,  at  a  distance,  usually  pays  but  little  attenuon  to  them. 
While,  however,  the  claims  of  Alaska  to  untold  wealth  in  silver  and  copper 
must  be  admitted,  if  admitted  at  all,  on  mere  hearsay,  except  so  far  as  the 
reports  of  e:cplorers  are  borne  out  by  the  geological  formation  of  the  country, 
every  tourist  has  an  opportunity  of  visiting,  under  the  most  advantageous  and 
pleasurable  circumstances,  the  greatest  gold  mine  in  the  world,  namely,  the 
Treadwell  Mine,  on  Douglas  Island,  of  which  more  will  be  said  in  its  proper 
place. 

It  will  be  but  a  few  years  before  the  lumbering  operations  now  going  on  in 
the  forest  belt  of  Washington  Territory  extend  to  this  far  northern  region. 
The  whole  of  southeastern  Aiaska  is  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  spruce, 
hemlock  and  yellow  cedar,  frequtivly  containing  timber  of  from  four  to  six  feet 
in  diameter  at  the  base,  and  growing  to  a  height  of  from  thirty  to  forty  feet 
before  branching.  The  yellow  cedar  is  said  to  be  the  most  valuable  timber  on 
the  Pacitic  coast,  being  highly  prized,  both  by  the  cabinet-maker  and  ship-builder. 
^With  regard  to  agriculture,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  refer  to  t'.ic  admirable 
report  of  the  Governor  of  Alaska,  for  1886,  in  which  he  combats  the  rash 
statements  of  various  transient  visitors,  whose  prominence  obtains  for  their 
assertions  a  credence  of  which  they  are  not  always  worthy;  and,  fortifying  his 
statement  with  the  authority  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Dall,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution, 
who  ha>  devoted  more  time  and  made  more  thorough  researches  into  the 
natural  resources  of  Alaska  than  any  other  person,  declares  that  there  are  con- 
siderable areas  of  arable  land,  with  a  soil  of  sufficient  depth  and  fertility  to 
insure  the  growth  of  the  very  best  crops,  and  fhat  the  experiments  which  have 
been  made  in  the  past  two  or  three  years  have  proved  most  conclusively  that  all 
♦he  cereals,  as  well  as  the  tub?rs,  can  be  grown  to  perfection  in  Alaskan  soil 
and  clilnate.  It  is  impossible  in  these  pages  to  pursue  this  interesting  and 
important  subject  further,  but  it  may  be  stated  that  the  Governor  does  not  con- 
tent himself  with  mere  assertion,  but  that,  in  addition  to  giving  the  results  of 
the  va/ious  experiments  that  have  been  made,  he  deals  at  some  length  with  the 
subjec,  of  the  native  grasses  of  the  Territory,  all  going  to  prove  that  the  country 
is  not  nearly  so  worthless  for  agricultural  purposes  as  interested  detractors 
or  careless  and  superticial  observers  would  have  us  believe. 

Having  thus  acquainted  himself  with,  a  few  of  the  more  imi.)>;.-*ant  facts 
concerning  this  great  Territory,  the  tourist  is  now  prepared  to  resume  his  voyage. 
Crossing  the  broad  expanse  of  Dixon  Entrance,  where,  looking  westward,  we 


WONDERI.AiYD. 


81 


see  the  cipoti  sea,  we  enter  Clarence  Strait,  over  one  hundred  miles  loiij;  and 
nowhere  less  than  four  miles  in  widili.  We  are  now  within  the  remarkable 
geographical  area  known  as  Alexander  Archipelago,  a  congeries  of  straits, 
islands,  inlets,  rocks  and  passages  extending  through  nearly  five  degrees  of 
latitude  and  seven  of  longitude.  The  islands  of  this  archipelago  definitely 
placed  on  the  charts  number  1,10.,  and  we  have  the  authority  of  the  United 
States  Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey  for  the  statement  that,  if  all  the  existmg 
rocks  and  islands  were  enumerated,  the  number  stated  would  have  to  be  very 
considerably  increased. 

Throughout  the  whole  of  Clarence  Strait,  we  have  on  our  left  the  great 
Prmce  ot  Wales  Island,  the  home  of  the  llydahs,  with  whose  marvelous  skill 
in  carving,  the  tourist  doubtless  became  familiar  during  his  brief  stay  at  Victoria. 
Their  miniature  totems,  cut  in  dark  slate-stone,  are  greatly  sought  after  by 
tourists  and  command  a  somewhat  high  price.  The  artistic  skill  of  this  famous 
tribe  has,  however,  been  better  exemplified  in  its  spoons,  carved  out  of  the  horn 
of  the  mountain  goat;  but  these  have  nearly  all  gone  to  jnrich  the  collections 
of  eastern  visitors  during  the  last  two  or  three  seasons,  and  during  his  visit  to 
the  Territory,  in  the  summer  of  1887,  the  present  writer  found  but  a  single 
specimen  in  many  hundreds  of  carved  goat's  horn  spoons,  that  sustained  the 
reputrition  of  the  Hydahs  for  that  delicacy  of  workmanship  in  which  they 
Well-nigh  rival  the  ivory  workers  of  Japan. 

It  may  be  mentioned  in  this  '  jnnection  that  the  recently  formed  Alaskan 
Society  of  Natural  History  an'.  Ethnology,  whose  headquarters  are  at  Sitka, 
has  already  gathered  together  an  exceedingly  interesting  and  valuable  collection 
of  specimens  of  native  handiwork;  and  visitors  are  invited  to  contribute  to  a 
fund  which  is  being  raised  for  the  purchase  and  preservation  of  Alaskan  curios- 
ities of  every  description,  especially  those  made  by  the  natives  before  the  influx 
of  tourists  found  them  the  ready  market  they  now  possess,  and  led  them,  as  it 
unfortunately  did,  to  think  more  of  the  quantity  than  the  quality  of  their  work. 

The  islands  on  our  right  as  we  continue  our  voyage  are  the  Gravina  Group, 
Revilla  Gigedo  and,  after  a  promontory  of  the  m,'  inland,  Etolin  Island,  round 
whose  northern  coast  we  steer  northeastward  to  F./ft  Wrangell,  usually  the  first 
calling  place  of  the  steamer,  during  the  tourist  season.  The  Gravina  Islands 
contain  a  fine  range  of  mountains,  the  higher  peaks  of  which  have  their  dark 
masses  relieved  by  patches  of  snow.  Re  lUa  Gigedo  Island  likewise  is  mount- 
ainous— its  nearer  summits  clothed  with  pine,  its  more  distant  ones  crowned 
with  everlasting  snow.  On  Prince  of  Wales  Island,  the  mountains  rising  before 
us  are  enveloped,  for  the  most  part,  in  a  delicious  purple  haze.  As  we  approach 
them,  their  rocky,  precipitous  and  deeply  fissured  sides  (the  last  the  result  of 
glacial  action,  which  is.  plainly  visible)  afford  a  striking  diversity  of  outline  and 
color,  which,  added  to  the  beauties  of  light  and  shade  lent  them  by  passing 
clouds,  have  a  very  fine  effecL.  Clarence  Strait  is,  indeed,  a  magnificent  sheet 
of  water,  well  worthy  of  its  place  in  that  remarkable  series  of  devious  water- 
ways through  winch  our  voyage  lies. 


i  I 

I 


r 


ALASKAN  GRAVE  AND  TOTEM  POLES  AT  FORT  WRANGELL. 


(83) 


M'ONDERLAND 


83 


Fort  WrangcU,  although  formerly  a  place  of  some  importance  as  ilic  port  of 
the  Cassiar  mines,  away  in  the  interior  beyond  the  international  boundary,  is.  i)f 
all  the  settlements  al  which  the  steamer  calls,  the  least  attractive  in  every 
respect  save  that  it  is  here  that  the  tourist  will  find  the  largest  assemblage  of 
totem  poles  that  he  will  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing,  as  well  as  several  old 
graves  of  singularly  striking  appearance.  'I'he  village,  which  occupies  a  beauti- 
ful site,  is  given  up  almost  entirely  to  the  Stikine  tribe  of  the  Thlinkel  race,  and, 
within  a  few  minutes  after  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  at  the  wharf,  the  interior  of 
almost  every  house  presents  an  animated  appearance,  curio-hunting  passengers* 
thronging  them  to  the  doors,  and  bargaining  with  their  inmates  for  the  various 
objects  of  interest  they  see  around  them. 

The  ship's  officers,  government  officials  and  other  persons  supposed  to  be 
well  informed  are  frequently  asked  which  of  the  various  stoppmg  places  is  the 
best  for  the  purchase  of  curiosities.  In  anticipation  of  this  inquiry,  it  may  be 
stated  that  there  is  little  to  choose  between  Fort  Wrangell,  Juneau  and  Sitka, 
except  that  in  the  fine  store  of  Messrs.  Koehler  (!\;  James,  at  Juneau,  the  visitor 
will  find  a  larger  collection  of  the  more  desirable  and  costly  specimens  of  native 
handiwork,  as  well  as  of  valuable  furs,  than  at  either  of  the  other  two  places. 
At  anyone  of  them,  however,  and  at  any  moment,  he  may  run  across  something 
that  could  not  be  duplicated  in  the  entire  Territory,  although  each  recurring  sea- 
son renders  this  less  and  less  probable. 

K  strongly  marked  trait  m  the  character  of  the  Thlinkets  is  their  respect 
for  their  ancestors.  Independently  of  their  tribal  distinctions,  which  are  little 
more  than  local,  they  are  divided  into  four  totems  or  clans,  each  of  which 
is  known  by  a  badge  or  emblem  used  much  in  the  same  way  as  is  the  crest  or 
coat  of  arms  among  the  old  families  of  Europe.  These,  according  to  Mr. 
W.  H.  Dall,  are  the  Raven,  the  Wolf,  the  Whale  and  the  Eagle ;  ind  these 
emblems  are  carved  on  their  houses,  household  utensils,  paddles  and  fre- 
quently on  amulets  of  native  copper,  which  they  preserve  with  scrupu'ous  care 
and  consider  to  be  of  the  greatest  value.  In  front  of  many  of  their  house.'  and 
also  at  their  burial  places,  are  posts  varying  from  twenty  to  sixty  feet  in  lici.rht 
and  from  two  to  five  feet  in  diameter,  carved  to  represent  successive  ancestral 
totems  and  usually  stained  black,  red  and  blue,  .\s  already  stated,  several 
of  these  totem  poles,  as  they  are  called,  are  to  be  seen  at  Fort  Wrangell,  as 
well  as  two  remarkable  graves,  one  sum  ounted  by  a  rudely  carved  whale, 
and  the  other  by  a  huge  figuie  of  a  wolf. 

Resuming  our  voyage,  we  leave  this  c;jrious  old  Stikine  town,  and  after 
steaming  westward  to  the  southern  entrance  to  Wrangell  Strait,  turn  northward 
and  follow  that  narrow  passage  into  the  broader  Dry  Strait,  where  we  have 
the  magnificent  Patterson  Glacier  on  our  right  and  find  considerable  floating 
ice.  Following  the  north  shore  of  Kupreanoff  Island,  we  enter  Frederick 
Sound;  but  quickly  resume  our  almost  directly  northward  course  by  entering 
Stephens  Passage,  where  we  have  Admiralty  Island  on  our  left,  said,  \y;  the 
way,  to  be  swarming  with  bear,  and  the  mainland  on  our  right      On  Stockade 


A  THLINKET  FAMILY. 


(U) 


\ 


.'•■!'  olI.li.i'A-       ,.        «       .ift-  -'■7-'/''». 


]j-oxnF.RL.i.yn. 


86 


> 


Point,  a  comparatively  low  peninsula  from  which  the  land  rises  rapidly  to 
snow-capped  mountains,  is  a  ruined  block-house  and  stockade,  built  by  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  on  the  other  side  of  a  small  inlet  is  Grave 
Point,  a  native  burial  ground.  Leaving  to  the  right  Taku  Inlet,  we  enter 
the  narrow  and  picturesque  Gastiacau  Channel,  between  the  mainland  and 
the  now  famous  Douglas  Idand.  Here,  on  a  narrow  strip  of  land,  at  the 
foot  of  a  deep  ravine  between  two  precipitous  mountains,  stands  Juneau,  a 
cluster  of  detached  white  houses,  relieved  here  antl  there  by  the  unpainted 
frame-work  of  others  in  process  of  building.  The  mountain  rising  behind  it, 
as  you  approach  it  from  the  south,  is  deeply  fissured,  and  seamed  with  snow, 
and  the  town  itself  is  built  mainly  upon  a  huge  land-slide.  Not  a  few  of  the 
houses  have  apparently  been  built  by  white  settlers  attracted  to  the  spot  by 
the  fabulously  rich  mineral  deposits  of  the  district.  These  have  been  followed 
by  general  traders,  who,  in  addition  to  supplying  the  resident  jjopulation  with 
the  necessaries  of  life,  reap  a  rich  harvest,  during  the  tourist  season,  from 
the  sale  of  sundry  products  of  native  handiwork  and  the  skins  of  the  various 
fur-bearing  animals. 

An  excellent  weekly  newspaper,  called  the  Alasl-a  Free  Press,  is  published 
at  Juneau.  The  visitor  need  not  turn  to  its  pages  for  any  later  news  from 
the  outside  world  than  he  is  already  in  possession  of,  for  Alaska  has  not,  as 
yet,  the  advantage  of  telegraphic  communication  with  the  rest  of  the  world. 
He  will  find,  however,  much  interesting  reading  relative  to  the  mining 
resources  of  the  district  and  the  Territory  generally;  a  column  or  two  of  spicy 
local  items  and,  possibly,  the  report  of  some  recently  returned  explorer;  while 
the  busmess  advertisements  of  this  thriving  settlement  of  the  Far  North  will  be 
by  no  means  devoid  of  interest. 

Juneau  itself,  however,  as  a  point  of  interest  to  the  tourist,  is  soon  exhausted, 
and  his  thoughts  turn  to  the  great  Treadwell  mine, 

.    THE   RICHEST  GOLD   MINE   IN   THE   WORLD, 

which  lies  across  the  channel  on  Douglas  Island,  whither  the  steamer  will 
proceed  after  a  brief  stay  at  Juneau.  It  is  by  no  means  an  easy  task  to  deter- 
mine which  of  the  many  extraordinary  statements  relative  to  this  valuable 
property  that  one  hears  from  time  to  time  are  worthy  of  credence  and  which 
are  not;  and  even  when  the  truth  has  been  approximately  ascertained,  there 
remains  the  difficulty  of  determining  how  much  may  properly  be  made  public, 
and  how  much  should  be  regarded  as  only  the  individual  and  private  concern  of 
the  owners  of  the  mine.  In  view,  however,  of  the  fact  that  the  mill  has,  for 
some  time,  had  in  operation  a  larger  number  of  stamps  than  any  other  mill  in 
thf  world;  thait  by  the  time  this  ])amphlet  leaves  the  press  the  works  will  con- 
tain more  ore-crushing  machinery  than  the  five  largest  mines  in  Butte  City,  all 
combined,  and  that  the  Governor  of  the  Territory  himself  places  the  output  of 
the  mine  for  1887  at  $f  00,000  per  month,  it  is  surely  not  incredible  that  the 
company   should  have  refused  $16,000,000  for  its  property,  or  that  it  pays  a 


^ 


wm, 


■'T- 


tli 


if 


180) 


til 


^ 


WONDERLAND. 


87 


A 


\\\ 


•    -liv 


dividend  of  loo  per  cent,  per  month,  all  the  year  loiiiul;  or  yet,  at  least  to  those 
who  have  seen  it,  that  the  ore  actually  in  sij^ht  is  wortli  about  live  times  the 
amount  paid  to  the  Russian  Government  for  the  entire  Territory,  and  that,  even 
at  the  present  enormous  rate  of  production,  it  cannot  be  exhausted  in  less  than 
a  century. 

Although  it  cannot  but  interfere  to  some  extent  with  the  operations  of  the 
mine,  visitors  are,  with  great  courtesy,  shown  everything  that  is  likely  to  prove 
of  interest  to  them.  They  see  the  natives  earning  $2.50  per  day  each  in  the 
mine,  and  learn  to  their  surprise  that  they  are  better  workmen  tlian  the  whites; 
they  see  the  ore  in  every  stage  from  blasting  to  final  separation,  and  though  they 
may  leave  with  a  tinge  of  regret  that  it  has  not  been  their  own  luck  to  have 
made  so  valuable  a  discovery,  they  will  none  the  less  congratulate  the  owners 
on  their  magnificent  possession.  It  will  have  been  inferred,  from  what  has 
already  been  said,  that  it  is  not  a  mere  vein  of  gold,  of  varying  richness  and  un- 
certain direction,  that  is  here  being  worked.  So  far  from  that,  the  entire  island 
is  nothing  less  than  a  mountain  of  ore,  sufficient,  according  to  ex-Governor 
Stoneman  of  California,  to  pay  off  the  whole  of  the  national  debt. 

Gastineau  Channel  not  having  been  thoroughly  explored,  we  retrace  our 
course  to  its  southern  entrance,  where,  turning  northward,  we  follow  the  wider 
channel  that  lies  to  the  west  of  the  island.  This  brings  us  to  that  remarkable 
and  never-to-be-forgotten  body  of  v/ater,  the  Lynn  Canal,  where  not  only  have 
we  scenery  surpassing  in  wildness  and  grandeur  all  Hiat  has  preceded  it,  but 
also  many  glaciers,  while  we  reach,  just  under  the  parallel  of  60°,  the  most 
northerly  point  we  shall  attain  on  our  trip.  Soon  after  entering  the  canal,  and 
when  rounding  Point  Retreat,  we  see  the  great  Eagle  Glacier  to  the  northeast, 
coming  down  from  the  high  mountains  that  rise  in  the  background.  A  couple 
of  hours'  sail,  however,  brings  us  to  a  point  at  which  we  can  observe  much  more 
closely  the  still  larger  Davidson  Glacier,  on  the  opposite  shore.  But  even  here 
we  do  not  go  ashore,  for  the  far-famed  Muir  Glacier,-  which  we  shall  reach 
within  the  next  twenty-four  hours,  has  the  advantage  of  being  as  much  more 
easily  accessible  than  its  sister  glaciers  as  it  e^cceeds  them  in  magnitude,  beauty 
and  general  interest. 

How  unimpressionable  soever  the  tourist  may  be,  a  mysterious  sense  of  awe 
is  almost  sure  to  take  possession  of  him  wher.  ihe  steamer  is  exploring  the  two 
inlets  of  Chilkat  and  Chilkoot,  in  which  the  Lynn  Canal  terminates.  Not,  per- 
haps, until  vegetation  has  almost  entirely  disappeared,  will  he  have  noticed  its 
increasing  scantiness,  but  it  will  not  be  long  before  he  realizes  the  fact  that  in 
the  forbidding  mountains,  the  bare  rocks  and  the  nineteen  great  ice  cataracts 
that  here  discharge  themselves  into  the  sea,  he  sees  a  itirture  more  closely 
resembling  the  scenes  of  the  now  not  distant  Arctic  world  than,  probably,  he 
will  ever  again  have  an  opportunity  of  gazing  upon. 

The  natives  of  this  region  are  that  famous  tribe,  the  Chilkats,  whose 
dexterously  woven  dancing  blankets  are  so  much  sought  after  by  all  visitors  to 
Alaska  who  desire  to  take   honje   with  them  the  finest  examples  of   Alaskan 


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handiwork,  regardless  of  cost.  They  are  made  from  the  wool  of  the  white 
mountain  goat,  tnit  of  whose  black  horns  are  carved  the  spoons  and  ladles 
already  referred  to.  The  white  woo!  is  hung  from  an  upright  frame,  and  into  it 
nimble  fingers  weave,  by  means  of  ivory  shuttles,  curious  and  beautiful  jKitterns 
from  yarn  dyed  with  a  variety  of  brilliant  colors. 

We  have  now  to  retrace  our  course  some  si.\ty-five  miles  to  Point  Retreat, 
where,  instead  of  taking  the  easterly  channel  and  returning  to  Juneau,  we  con- 
tinue almost  directly  southward  to  the  point  at  which  tin;  waters  of  Lynn  Canal 
mingle  with  those  of  Icy  Strait.  Here,  our  gooil  ship's  course  is  once  more 
directed  northward,  and,  after  a  brief  sail,  we  enter  the  island-studded  Cilacier 
Bay,  where  innumerable  icebergs  proclaim  our  approach  to  that  crowning  glory 
of  this  veritable  Wonderland,  the  famous  Muir  Glacier,  undoubtedly  the 

GREATEST  GLACIER   IN  THE  WORLD, 

outside  of  the  Polar  seas.  It  is  hard  to  .say  which  has  the  greater  advantage — 
the  traveler  who  sees  it  first  from  afar;  sees  it  as  a  vast  river  of  ice  ilowing 
down  from  between  the  mountains,  with  many  tributaries  both  on  the  right  and 
left,  and  to  whom  its  beauties  are  gradually  unfolded  with  the  nearer  approach 
of  the  steamer;  or  he  who,  awakened  from  his  slumber  by  the  thunderous  roar 
which  announces  the  birth  of  some  huge  iceberg,  hurries  on  deck  to  gaze  upon 
a  picture  without  parallel  in  the  known  v;orld — a  perpendicular  wall  of  ice,  lower- 
ing to  five  times  the  height  of  the  mast-nead,  and  glowmg  in  the  sunlight  like  a 
mountain  of  mother-of-pearl.  A  recent  visitor  to  this  indescribable  scene — 
himself  possessing  descriptive  powers  of  no  mean  order — declares  that  in  the 
narrative  of  his  Alaska  trip  he  would  prefer  to  insert  a  series  of  asterisks  where 
his  description  of  the  Muir  Glacier  should  come;  and  certainly  we  need  a  new 
vocabulary  to  set  forth  its  wondrous  beauty  with  any  degree  of  fidelity.  While, 
as  will  be  inferred  from  what  has  already  been  stated,  its  dimensions  are  such 
as  to  constitute  it  one  of  the  physical  wonders  of  the  world,  its  proportions  are 
so  admirable  that  the  traveler  is  less  impressed  with  its  immensity  than  with  its 
utter  novelty  and  incomparable  beauty;  and  it  is  as  much  a  revelation  to  those 
who  have  seen  the  glaciers  of  Switzerland  or  familiarized  themselves  with  tiie 
voyages  of  Arctic  and  Antarctic  explorers,  as  it  is  to  those  whose  ideas  of  a 
glacier  were  of  the  most  indefinite  and  inadequate  character. 

The  breadth  of  the  glacier  at  its  snout  is  fully  a  mile,  and  when,  almost 
under  its  shadow,  the  second  officer  heaves  the  lead  and  sings  out:  "Une  hundred 
and  five  fathoms,  and  no  bottom,  Sir,''  the  wonderment  of  the  traveler  is 
heightened  by  an  immediate  realization  of  the  fact  that  this  enormous  ice-flow 
extends  at  least  twice  as  far  below  the  surface  of  the  water  as  it  rises  above  it, 
and  that  it  is  accordingly  not  less  than  i,ooo  feet  deep.  But  its  vast  dimensions 
and  Its  marvelous  gradations  of  color,  from  pure  white  to  deepest  indigo,  do  not 
alone  make  up  that  unapproachable  ensemble  which  is  the  wonder  and  delight 
of  every  visitor.  To  speak  of  it  as  a  perpendicular  wall  of  ice  almost  necessarily 
conveys  the  idea  of   comparative   regularity,  as   though   it  were  a  suddenly 


'^■??*f5.  J 


9& 


nOXDIlRl.AND. 


congealed  cataract.  Instead  of  that,  however,  the  face  of  the  glacier  is  composed 
of  crystal  blocks  of  every  conceivable  size  and  shape,  many  of  them  having 
anj^ular  projections  or  rising  cliff-like  from  its  brink,  until,  with  a  roar  Jike  that 
of  the  distant  discharge  of  heavy  ordnance  it  comes  their  turn  to  fall  off  into 
the  sea.  ^ 

The  disintegration  of  these  immense  masses,  some  pf  them  weighing  thousands 
of  tons,  suggests  the  interesting  question:  How  fast  does  the  glacier  move 
forward  ?  Professor  G.  Frederick  Wright,  of  Oberlin,  Ohio,  in  an  exceedingly 
interesting  article  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  for  January,  I1S87, 
declares,  as  the  result  of  careful  observation  extending  over  several  weeks  that 
its  progressive  daily  movement  during  the  month  of  August  is  seventy  feet  at 
the  centre  and  ten  feet  at  the  margin,  or  an  average  of  forty  feet  per  day.  Its 
general  movement  being  entirely  imperceptible, — it  is  only  seven-twelfths  of 
an  inch  per  minute  where  it  is  greatest — Professor  Wright's  assertion  has 
somewhat  rashly  been  disputed  by  visitors  who  have  not  been  at  the  trouble 
to  make  observations  for  themselves.  But  there  is  surely  nothing  incredible  in 
a  forward  movement  averaging,  at  most,  forty  feet  per  day,  in  view  of  the 
continualfallingoff  of  such  immense  masses,  especially  when  it  is  remembered  that 
Professor  J.  D,  Forbes  found  the  Mer  de  Glace  to  move  forward  at  the  rate  of 
from  15  to  17.  5  inches  per  day,  at  a  much  less  an-gle,  with  an  infinitely  smaller 
volume  of  ice  behind  it,  and  diminishing  at  its  termination,  only  by  the  slow 
process  of  liquefaction. 

The  steamer  usually  remains  in  front  of  the  glacier  an  entire  day,  and  pas- 
sengers are  landed  on  a  dry  and  solid  moraine,  from  which  a  larger  area  of  tlie 
glacier  than  they  will  care  to  explore  is  within  comparatively  easy  reach.  Every 
one  should  climb  up  on  to  the  great  ice-field — 

"  A  crystal  pavement  by  the  breath  of  Ileavta 
Cemented  firm  ; " 


look  down  into  its  profound  crevasses,  and  view  also  the  magnificent  panorama 
of  Arctic  scenery  that  it  commands,  including  Mount  Crillon,  raising  its  snowy 
crest  against  the  sky  to  a  height  of  15,900  feet. 

However  indulgent  be  the  Captain,  this  red-letter  day  in  the  experience  of 
the  visitor — a  veritable  epoch  in  his  life — comes  to  an  end  at  last.  The  whistle 
is  sounded,  and  slowly  and  cautiously  the  steamer  threads  her  way  through  the 
floating  ice,  and  is  headed  for  Sitka.  This  stage  of  the  trip  might  be  consider- 
ably shortened  by  the  steamer  patting  out  to  sea  through  Cross  Sound,  and  it  is 
only  to  avoid  the  disagreeable  experience  to  her  passengers  that  would  attend 
.he  outside  passage,  that  she  takes  a  less  direct  course, 

Proceeding  southeastward  through  Icy  Strait,  we  enter  Chatham  Strait,  one 
of  the  most  extensive  and  remarkable  of  the  inland  highways  of  the  Alexander 
Archipelago.  From  this  broad  sheet  of  water  we  go  westward  through  Peril 
Straits,  a  designation  that  might  excite  some  little  apprehension  were  we  not 
♦.old  that  it  was  bestowed  upon  the  channel  through  which  we  pass,  not  because 


u'Oxnr.Ri.AND. 


91 


of  any  iliFficulty  or  danger  attending  its  navigation,  but  on  account  of  the  death 
there,  in  1799,  of  a  large  number  of  Aleuts  who  had  partaken  of  poisonous 
mussels.  For  two-thirds  of  the  distance  traversed  by  the  steamer,  the  straits 
are  several  miles  wide,  but  they  ultimately  narrow  to  a  width  of  less  than  half  a 
mile,  to  form,  with  Neva  and  01jj[a  Straits,  a  succession  of  beautiful  channels, 
studiled  with  charming  islands  and  presenting  a  striking  contrast  to  the  desolate- 
looking  shores  of  Glacier  Bay. 

There  is  no  trip  in  the  world  of  corresponding  duration  that  is  less  monoto- 
nous than  this  two  weeks'  excursion  to  Alaska.  'The  tourist  is  continually 
being  greetcil  by  scenes  utterly  unlike  any  he  has  ever  before  ga.!ed  upon,  while 
the  contrasts  presented  by  successive  days'  experiences  are,  themselves,  as 
delightful  as  they  are  surprising.  Should  the  steamer,  for  example,  come  to  an 
anchorage  in  Sitka  Sound  during  the  night  or  in  the  early  morning,  the  traveler 
will  be  almost  startled  by  the  novel,  iMcturcscjuo  and  altogether  pleasing  appear- 
ance of  the  scene  that  will  greet  him  when  he  goes  (m  deck  to  take  his  first 
view  of  the  Capital  city.  On  the  one  hand  are  the  glistening  waters  of  the  bay, 
studded  with  innumerable  rocky,  moss-covered  islands,  affording  a  scanty  foot- 
hold for  undersized  firs  and  spruce;  with  that  extraordinary-looking  peak.  Mount 
Edgecumbe,  rising  beyond,  an  almost  perfect  cone,  save  that  its  apex  has  been 
cut  off  so  sharply  as  to  leave  it  with  a  perfectly  flat  top,  in  which  is  a  crater 
said  to  be  2,000  feet  in  diameter  and  about  200  feet  deep.  On  the  other  hand, 
from  a  cluster  of  more  or  less  quaint-looking  buildings,  rises  Baranoff  Castle, 
the  former  residence  of,  a  long  succession  of  stern  Muscovite  governors,  and 
the  emerald-green  cupola  and  dome  of  the  Russo-Greek  church,  with  lofty 
mountains,  including  the  frowning  Vostovia,  in  the  background. 

It  is  with  an  already  formed  favorable  impression  of  the  place  that  the 
passenger  steps  ashore,  to  visit  the  two  remarkable  buildings  above  mentioned, 
of  which,  probably,  he  has  often  heard  and  read;  to  saunter  through  the  curious 
streets  of  the  town,  and  to  pick  up  in  its  stores  and  in  the  houses  of  the  natives 
additional  specimens  of  Alaskan  handiwork  and  other  curiosities;  to  visit  the 
Training  School  and  Mission,  where  native  boys  and  girls  are  being  educated, 
Christianized  and  taught  useful  trades;  and,  possibly,  to  pay  his  respects  to 
some  member  of  that  admirable  body  of  United  States  officials,  now  administer- 
ing the  affairs  of  the  Territory  with  so  much  success. 

Baranoff  Castle  is  not  a  grim,  ivy-covered  and  decaying  stronghold,  with 
turrets,  battlements  and  keep,  but  a  plain,  square,  substantial,  yellow  frame 
building,  surmounted  by  a  little  look-out  tower,  upon  which  might  have  been 
seen  until  recently  the  revolving  anemometer  of  the  United  States  Signal 
Service,  whose  station  here  has  just  been  given  up,  presumably  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  observations  having  been  carefully  made  and  recorded  for  no  less  than 
half  a  century,  first  by  the  Russians  and  afterward  by  the  Americans,  there 
remains  no  necessity  for  its  further  continuance.  The  interest  that  attaches  to 
the  Castle  is  almost  entirely  either  historical  or  traditional.  Among  the  memories 
that  haunt  its  great  ball-room  is  that  of  the  beautiful  niece  of  Earon  Romanoff, 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

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INDIAN  RIVER,  SITKA,  ALASKA. 
(08) 


WONDERLAND. 


93 


one  of  its  Muscovite  governors,  said  to  have  been  fatally  stabbed  on  her  wed- 
ding night  by  her  own  lover,  in  whose  enforced  absence  she  had  been  com- 
pelled by  her  uncle  to  marry  a  previously  rejected  suitor  of  nobler  birth. 

The  most  interesting  object  in  the  city,  however,  is  the  Russo-Greek  church, 
not  so  much  for  what  it  is  in  itself,  as  for  the  paintings,  vestments  and  other 
art  treasures  it  contains.  Among  these  is  an  exquisite  pamting  of  the 
Madonna  and  Child,  copied  from  a  celebrated  picture  at  Moscow,  and  so 
largely  covered  with  gold  and  silver — after  the  manner  of  the  Greek  Church — 
that  but  little  of  the  picture  is  to  be  seen  except  the  faces.  Another  of  its 
treasures  is  a  Bishop's  crown,  supposed  to  be  several  hundred  years  old, 
and  almost  covered  with  emeralds,  sapphires  and  pearls. 

Steamer  day  is  a  great  day  at  Sitka,  and  the  scanty  American  population — 
together  with  prominent  members  of  the  Russo- American  community,  like  Mr, 
George  Kostrometinoff,  the  Government  Interpreter — give  themselves  up  almost 
entirely  to  showing  civilities  to  the  visitors  who  throng  the  chief  places  of  interest. 
They  are  naturally  wishful  that  tourists  should  take  away  a  favorable  impression 
of  Alaska  generally  and  Sitka  in  particular,  and  Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson,  General 
Agent  of  Education  in  Alaska,  under  the  United  States  Government,  usually 
affords  the  visitor  an  opportunity  of  judging  of  the  excellence  of  the  work  that 
is  being  carried  on  among  the  natives,  not  forgetting,  at  the  same  time,  to  urge 
the  rtter  inadequacy  of  the  miserable  pittance  annually  doled  out  by  Congress 
for  educational  purposes  in  this  vast  Territory.  In  this  connection  it  may  also 
be  stated  that  the  Russian  inhabitants  themselves  complain  bitt'^rly  of  the  faith- 
lessness of  our  Government  to  the  pledges  given  to  Russia  at  the  time  of  the 
purchase,  with  regard  to  the  provision  of  educational  facilities  and  other  rights 
of  citizenship. 

Having  visited  the  Training  School,  the  tourist  should  continue  his  walk  to 
Indian  River,  along  the  right  bank  of  which  a  well-marked  trail  will  conduct 
him  to  a  woodland  scene  that  will  form  one  of  the  most  delightful  reminiscences 
of  his  visit  to  Sitka. 

Returning  to  the  town,  he  may  have  the  curiosity  to  inquire  the  price  of  some 
of  the  principal  articles  of  food,  when  he  will  find  that  he  can  buy  fresh  salmon  at 
from  one  cent  to  a  cent  and  a  half  per  pound,  halibut  and  black  bass  at  one-half 
cent  per  pound,  venison  at  from  six  to  eight  cents  per  pound,  teal  ducks  at  twenty 
cents  per  pair,  and  other  varieties  of  game-food  at  correspondingly  low  prices. 

When,  falling  in  with  some  intelligent  resident,  he  learns  how  many 
attractive  and  interesting  places  there  are  within  easy  reach  of  the  town ;  when 
he  is  told  of  the  sublime  scciuTy  at  the  head  of  Silver  Hay,  including;  Sara- 
binokoff  Cataract,  with  its  fall  of  500  feet;  of  the  rich  mines  in  Us  vicinity,  with 
ores  assaying  from  $4,000  to  $6,000  per  ton  ;  when  he  hears  of  the  comparative 
facility  with  which  Mount  Edgecumbe  can  be  ascended  and — assuming  him  to 
be  a  sportsman — of  the  abundance  of  jgame  on  the  slopes  of  Mount  Vostovia,  as 
well  as  in  other  equally  accessible  localities,  the  traveler  cannot  help  regretting 
that  his  visit  to  so  attractive  a  region  must  so  soon  come  to  an  end. 


94 


WONDERLAND. 


Only  a  brief  reference  has  thus  far  been  made  to  the  almost  nightless  day 
that  prevails  in  this  northern  latitude  at  midsummer,  and  it  may  therefore  be 
stated  that,  while,  at  Sitka,  the  period  between  sunrise  and  sunset  at  the  summer 
solstice  is  only  two  and  one-quarter  hours  longer  than  it  is  at  New  York  or 
Boston,  the  twilight  is  of  such  long  duration  that  it  can  scarcely  be  said  ever  to 
get  dark,  the  last  glow  hardly  dying  out  in  the  Northwest  before  the  first  flush 
of  dawn  appears  in  the  NortHeast. 

It  is  scarcely  too  much  to  say  that  no  tourist  ever  visited  even  this  southeast- 
ern strip  of  Alaska,  who  did  not  ever  afterward  feel  a  profound  interest  in 
whatever  concerned  the  welfare  of  this  distant  portion  of  our  great -country,  and 
labor  to  remove  the  various  misconceptions  so  long  current  with  regard  to  it. 
Readers  of  these  pages,  therefore,  desirous  of  keeping  thoroughly  au  courant 
with  the  affairs  of  the  Territory;  of  knowing,  from  time  to  time,  how  rapidly, 
and  in  what  new  directions,  the  development  of  its  vast  wealth-producing  capa- 
bilities i:i  proceeding;  what  scientists  are  saying  with  regard  to  its  glaciers  and  its 
other  remarkable  natural  features;  what  success  is  attending  the  efforts  that  are 
being  made,  both  by  educational  and  religious  agencies,  to  civilize  the  still  half- 
savage  native  races  of  the  country,  and  what  light  is  being  thrown  on  hitherto 
perplexing  questions  in  ethnology  and  kindred  sciences  by  the  labors  of  the 
society  recently  formed  at  Sitka  for  their  investigation,  will  not  consider  the 
present  writer  to  have  gone  needlessly  out  of  his  way  if  he  refers  them  to  the 
interesting  columns  of  The  Alaskan,  a  well-conducted  weekly  journal  published 
at  Sitka,  in  which  everything  of  public  interest  relating  to  the  Territory  finds  a 
place  commensurate  with  its  importance. 

Sitka  is  usually  the  last  calling  place  of  the  Alaska  excursion,  although  it 
occasionally  happens  that  some  other  point,  already  dealt  with  in  these  pages,  is 
reserved  for  the  steamer's  homeward  voyage.  Should,  however,  the  good  ship's 
return  trip  be  marked  by  no  strikingly  novel  experiences,  and  have  no  break 
until  she  is  once  more  moored  alongside  the  wharf  at  Victoria,  the  matchless 
scenery  of  that  long  succession  of  land-locked  channels  she  will  traverse, 
observed  from  new  points  of  view  and  under  new  physical  conditions,  will,  with 
agreeable  companionship  and  other  .social  pleasures,  render  the  homeward 
voyage  possibly  even  more  truly  enjoyable  than  were  those  first  few  days  before 
the  barriers  of  reserve  were  broken  down,  and  when  the  rapid  succession  of  one 
sublime  and  unlooked-for  spectacle  after  another  kept  the  mind  in  a  state  of 
perpetual  tension. 

Victoria,  Port  Townsend,  Seattle,  Tacoma,  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  and 
— home  !  Our  bright  dream — No!  All  is  too  real,  too  vivid,  too  enduring,  for 
any  such  simile.  Familiar  scenes  and  prosaic  duties  may  once  more  engross  us, 
but  our  trip  to  Wonderland  will  remain  to  the  end  of  our  lives  a  bright  chapter 
in  our  experience,  to  whose  glowing  pictures  we  shall  continually  recur  with 
ever-increasing  delight. 


i 


I 


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